What your tongue reveals about your health
From changing colors to curious bumps, your tongue gives important health clues.
Jan, 2026
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Every day, your tongue sends you delightful information like how ice cream tastes or what it’s like to be kissed. But this tiny muscle can also provide clues about how the rest of your body's doing.
“Your mouth and, in particular, your tongue is a window to your body's health,” says David Opperman, MD an otolaryngologist, or ear, nose and throat doctor at Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in Denver, Colorado. "Checking your tongue should be a daily habit."
Here are six things your tongue could reveal about your health.
Written byRose Hayes, MA, RN.
Medically reviewed byMark Arredondo, MD.
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