It is estimated that 12% of adults over 40 have lost some of their ability to smell and 3% can smell little or nothing. The ability to smell allows you to enjoy the fragrance of a flower or warns you of a gas leak but it also allows you to enjoy the food you eat.
Flavor is complex but our ability to smell plays a prominent role in enjoying the food we prepare and eat. Dealing with COVID-19 brought the loss of smell into the limelight because between 46% to 69% of all COVID patients reported smell loss. If you are unable to smell food, you may eat less or avoid foods that are no longer enjoyable. This often happens as we get older because loss of smell declines in age and can be affected by medications taken. Some people who have a partial sense of smell may overeat, especially sweet and salty foods where flavor does not rely on smell as much.
Smells can even affect our mental health. The olfactory bulb detects odors and sends them on to brain where they can spark a memory, emotion or even something we have previously learned. These responses can trigger memories of family meals, holidays, celebrations, and other events that contained an element of smell. When you are unable to smell some of these life memories may be lost.
Many experts believe that the loss of smell is undiagnosed in some patients and they recommend smell and taste assessments as part of routine care. Smell impairment can be an early symptom of multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease.
