Many people wonder why it is that if your nose is stuffed up from a cold, it becomes much more difficult to taste food. Smell plays such an important role in taste that it is hard to tell the difference between foods with a similar texture if the olfactory (smell) system isn't working properly.
The reason that smell plays such a big role in taste is that these two senses work in harmony. All foods have odor molecules which get picked up by a specialized patch of cells in the upper nasal tract and through the roof of the mouth. Messages about these molecules (called odorants) then get sent to the brain. The brain then interprets the message and we then "know" what we are about to eat because the brain has identified it for us.
Since we smell our food before we eat it, the odorant molecules reach the brain even before food enters the mouth. This helps us to know if foods are spoiled so we don't eat foods that will make us sick. This means that smell plays a critical role in our survival. This is why smell and taste are so connected to each other. Smell loss can be dangerous - especially to the elderly - if they eat spoiled food. The tendency to forget how long something has been in the refrigerator coupled with an inability to smell if it is safe to eat and overall frail health can cause serious illness and even death.
Moreover, smell also triggers our appetite and makes us want to eat. The wonderful smells of our favorite foods actually help jumpstart the digestive processes. Many people with smell loss find that food loses its appeal and food is no longer desired. This too can lead to significant health problems especially for those with existing illnesses and the elderly. A thorough evaluation by a doctor who specializes in smell and taste loss should be considered because of the serious effects that this can have on health. If your older parent is complaining that food doesn't taste good any more, then you should keep a close eye on them for weight loss. Malnutrition in the elderly can worsen their other health problems and even lead to premature death.
More often than not, taste loss is actually occurs because of an underlying the underlying smell loss - that's how important smell is to our sense of taste. In fact smell disorders are much, much more common than true taste disorders and more often found in men than women. Usually smell loss occurs slowly over time - so slowly in fact - that people don't even know it is happening. As a result many folks are unaware that they have a smell loss problem. We know this is true because only 1-2% of people report having this problem, but test results show they do. Over the age of 65 as many as 50% of people will have smell loss, but by age 75 - that number jumps to 75%! This means that most of us will be affected by smell loss in our later years. You may already know someone suffering from this problem, especially if you have older parents.
Although aging is one of the most common causes of smell and taste loss, there are quite a few other causes. These include: vitamin deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, dental problems, sinus infections, exposure to toxins, respiratory infections, certain medications, nasal polyps, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, uncontrolled diabetes, thyroid problems, and Alzheimer's disease.
One of the keys to overcoming taste loss is proper identification of the underlying cause, but the other is learning how to manage it. Be sure to learn as much as you can so that you can start enjoying your food again!
The reason that smell plays such a big role in taste is that these two senses work in harmony. All foods have odor molecules which get picked up by a specialized patch of cells in the upper nasal tract and through the roof of the mouth. Messages about these molecules (called odorants) then get sent to the brain. The brain then interprets the message and we then "know" what we are about to eat because the brain has identified it for us.
Since we smell our food before we eat it, the odorant molecules reach the brain even before food enters the mouth. This helps us to know if foods are spoiled so we don't eat foods that will make us sick. This means that smell plays a critical role in our survival. This is why smell and taste are so connected to each other. Smell loss can be dangerous - especially to the elderly - if they eat spoiled food. The tendency to forget how long something has been in the refrigerator coupled with an inability to smell if it is safe to eat and overall frail health can cause serious illness and even death.
Moreover, smell also triggers our appetite and makes us want to eat. The wonderful smells of our favorite foods actually help jumpstart the digestive processes. Many people with smell loss find that food loses its appeal and food is no longer desired. This too can lead to significant health problems especially for those with existing illnesses and the elderly. A thorough evaluation by a doctor who specializes in smell and taste loss should be considered because of the serious effects that this can have on health. If your older parent is complaining that food doesn't taste good any more, then you should keep a close eye on them for weight loss. Malnutrition in the elderly can worsen their other health problems and even lead to premature death.
More often than not, taste loss is actually occurs because of an underlying the underlying smell loss - that's how important smell is to our sense of taste. In fact smell disorders are much, much more common than true taste disorders and more often found in men than women. Usually smell loss occurs slowly over time - so slowly in fact - that people don't even know it is happening. As a result many folks are unaware that they have a smell loss problem. We know this is true because only 1-2% of people report having this problem, but test results show they do. Over the age of 65 as many as 50% of people will have smell loss, but by age 75 - that number jumps to 75%! This means that most of us will be affected by smell loss in our later years. You may already know someone suffering from this problem, especially if you have older parents.
Although aging is one of the most common causes of smell and taste loss, there are quite a few other causes. These include: vitamin deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, dental problems, sinus infections, exposure to toxins, respiratory infections, certain medications, nasal polyps, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, uncontrolled diabetes, thyroid problems, and Alzheimer's disease.
One of the keys to overcoming taste loss is proper identification of the underlying cause, but the other is learning how to manage it. Be sure to learn as much as you can so that you can start enjoying your food again!
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