When the Senses of Smell and Taste Don’t Work

It is just great to smell a dish cooking or a dessert baking in the oven because we know that soon we will enjoy eating something delicious. But some folks lose their senses of taste and smell, and it is not related to having covid. A loss of those two senses can negatively impact quality of life, that is for sure. Can you imagine eating a wonderful looking meal but then finding it has no taste or is completely bland?

About 200,000 people each year go to the doctor complaining about having difficulty with tasting and smelling. This can actually be dangerous because they may not smell smoke or a burning fire, poisonous fumes, leaking gas or spoiled foods.

The sense of taste and smell is related to the 10,000 taste buds that we are born with. Taste cells are clustered within the taste buds which are scattered on the tongue, roof of the mouth and throat. The average lifespan of each taste bud is only 10 days and then a new one replaces it. By age 50 though, we begin to lose the number of taste buds and their ability to distinguish taste diminishes. There are five tastes that the taste buds pick up: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and savory (umami).

Besides aging, there are numerous reasons that a person loses their senses of smell and taste including:

• Illness - cold, flu, sinus infection, ear infection, allergies and upper respiratory infections
• Head injury
• Following surgery, especially of the ears, nose, and throat
• Dental or mouth problems
• Nasal polyps
• Medications such as antibiotics, antihistamines and proton pump inhibitors
• Radiation to the head and neck
• Alzheimer's disease
• Parkinson's disease
• Smoking

Some folks completely lose their sense of smell or taste, and for some it is reduced. It can be permanent or a temporary situation with the senses returning to normal after a person addresses the underlying health issues, for example, changes their medications or their infection is gone.

It can be helpful to see an ENT (Ears, Nose and Throat) specialist. They will thoroughly check for breathing issues, infections, current medical history, oral hygiene and medication use. Having diminished smell and taste senses can impact nutrition because it reduces a person's interest in eating, often leading to unintentional weight loss and malnutrition. Aging on its own will change the number and quality of our taste buds so when we are older we might need foods spicier, more colorful or with more texture. Be liberal with aromatic herbs and spices to bump up the flavor. And seek medical help if you notice a change in the senses of smell and taste. 

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About the Author

Rita Smith is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. She's been working in the field of nutrition and disease prevention for more than 35 years and currently works at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, Va. Each week, Rita provides nutrition counseling to clients who have a variety of disorders or diseases including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, gastroparesis and weight management. For these clients, food choices can help them manage their health problems.