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AgePage

National Institute on Aging

Smell and Taste: 

Spice of Life

Sally looked forward to Thanksgiving dinner 

at her daughter’s house every year. She loved 

the smell of the turkey and all the fixings. She 

couldn’t wait to dig in. But, this year it didn’t 

smell like Thanksgiving and, when Sally ate 

the holiday food, she felt let down. It wasn’t as 

tasty as she remembered. No one else seemed 

to notice. Sally wondered what might be 

wrong—could her senses be the problem?

Did you know that your sense of smell 

and taste are connected? As you get 

older, these senses can change, and, like 

Sally, you may find that certain foods 

aren’t as flavorful as they used to be. 

Changes in smell or taste can also be a 

sign of a larger problem.

Your Sense of Smell

Smell is an important sense. Certain 

smells, like your dad’s cologne, can 

help you recall a memory. Other smells, 

like smoke from a fire, can alert you to 

danger. When you can’t smell things you 

enjoy, like your morning coffee or spring 

flowers, life may seem dull.

As you get older, your sense of smell 

may fade. Your sense of smell is closely 

related to your sense of taste. When you 

can’t smell, food may taste bland. You 

may even lose interest in eating.

What Causes Loss of Smell?

Many problems cause a loss of 

smell that lasts for a short time. This 

temporary loss of smell may be due to:

F A cold or flu that causes a stuffy nose. 

The ability to smell will come back when 

you’re better.

F Allergies. Try to stay away from things 

you’re allergic to, like pollen and pets. Talk 

to your doctor about how to manage your 

allergies.

F A harmless growth (called a polyp) in the 

nose or sinuses that gives you a runny nose. 

Having the growth removed may help.

F Some medications like antibiotics or 

blood pressure medicine. Ask your doctor 

if there is another medicine you can take.

F Radiation, chemotherapy, and other 

cancer treatments. Your sense of smell 

may return when treatment stops.

Some things can cause a long-lasting 

loss of smell. A head injury, for example, 

can damage the nerves related to smell. 
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Sometimes, losing your sense of smell 

may be a sign of a more serious disorder, 

such as Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s 

disease. Be sure to tell your doctor about 

any change in your sense of smell.

Smells Can Keep You Safe

It’s important to be aware of odors 

around you. You need to be able to smell:

F Smoke—check your smoke detectors 

once a year to make sure they work.

F Gas leaks—make sure you have a gas 

detector in your home.

F Spoiled food—throw out food that’s 

been in the refrigerator too long.

F Household chemicals—make sure 

there is fresh air where you live and work.

Your Sense of Taste

There are tiny taste buds inside your 

mouth—on your tongue, in your throat, 

even on the roof of your mouth. What we 

call “flavor” is based on five basic tastes: 

sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and savory. Along 

with how it tastes, how food smells is also 

part of what makes up its flavor.

When food tastes bland, many people 

try to improve the flavor by adding 

more salt or sugar. This may not be 

healthy for older people, especially if you 

have medical problems like high blood 

pressure or diabetes (high blood sugar).

People who have lost some of their 

sense of taste may not eat the foods they 

need to stay healthy. This can lead to 

other issues such as:

F Weight loss

F Malnutrition (not getting the calories, 

protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and 

minerals you need from the food)

F Social isolation

F Depression

Eating food that is good for you is 

important to your health. If you have a 

problem with how food tastes, be sure to 

talk with your doctor.

What Causes Loss of Taste?

Many things can cause you to lose 

your sense of taste. Most of the time 

there are ways to help with the problem.

Medications, like antibiotics and pills 

to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, 

can sometimes change how food tastes. 

Some medicines can make your mouth 

dry. Having a dry mouth can cause food 

to taste funny and also make it hard to 

swallow. Talk to your doctor if you think a 

medicine is affecting your sense of taste. 

There may be different medicines that you 

can try. Do not stop taking your medicine.

Gum disease, an infection in your 

mouth, or issues with your dentures can 

leave a bad taste in your mouth that 

changes the way food tastes. Brushing 
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your teeth, flossing, and using mouthwash 

can help prevent these problems. Talk 

to your dentist if you have a bad taste in 

your mouth that won’t go away.

Alcohol can alter how food tastes. 

Cutting back or stopping drinking may 

help. Smoking can also reduce your 

sense of taste. Quitting may help.

Cancer Treatments and Taste

People who are having cancer 

treatments might have a problem with 

taste. Your sense of taste will often return 

once treatments stop.

Cancer treatments can make food 

taste bad or “off.” Some say that food 

tastes metallic. This funny taste may 

keep some people from eating healthy 

food. If this happens to you, try to:

F Eat four or five small meals during 

the day instead of three large meals.

F Eat cold food, including yogurt, 

pudding, and gelatin dessert. Cold food 

may taste better than hot food.

F Eat fresh, uncooked vegetables. 

Cooked vegetables can have strong 

odors that may not be appealing.

F Drink lots of fluids, including water, 

weak tea, juice, and ginger ale.

F Test new foods to find ones you like.

F Brush your teeth before and after eating.

F Use plastic forks and spoons if food 

tastes metallic.

Colors and Spices Can Help

If you’re having trouble smelling 

and tasting your food, try adding color 

and texture to make your food more 

interesting. For example, try eating 

brightly colored vegetables like carrots, 

sweet potatoes, broccoli, and tomatoes. 

Also, if your diet allows, flavor your 

food with a little butter, olive oil, cheese, 

nuts, or fresh herbs like sage, thyme, or 

rosemary. To put some zing in your food, 

add mustard, hot pepper, onions, garlic, 

ginger, different spices, or lemon or lime 

juice. Choose foods that look good to you.

Special Doctor for Smell and 

Taste, an Otolaryngologist

If the foods you enjoy don’t smell or 

taste the way you think they should, talk 

to your doctor. He or she might suggest 

you see a specialist who treats people 

with smell and taste problems. This kind 

of doctor is called an otolaryngologist 

(oh-toh-lar-ing-gol-uh-jist), also known 

as an ENT (which stands for ear, nose, 

and throat). An otolaryngologist works 

on problems related to the ear, nose, and 

throat, as well as the larynx (voice box), 

mouth, and parts of the neck and face. 

The doctor may ask:

F Can you smell anything at all?

F Can you taste any food?
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F When did you first notice the problem?

F Is the problem getting worse?

F Have you been told that you have 

allergies or chronic sinus problems?

F What medicines do you take?

There are likely ways to help fix the 

problem. If not, the doctor can help you 

cope with the changes in smell and taste.

For More Information About 

Smell and Taste

Food and Drug Administration

1-888-463-6332 (toll-free)

druginfo@fda.hhs.gov (email)

www.fda.gov

National Cancer Institute

1-800-422-6237 (toll-free)

cancergovstaff@mail.nih.gov (email)

www.cancer.gov

National Institute on Deafness and 

Other Communication Disorders

1-800-241-1044 (toll-free)

1-800-241-1055 (TTY/toll-free)

nidcdinfo@nidcd.nih.gov (email)

www.nidcd.nih.gov

National Institute of Dental and 

Craniofacial Research

National Oral Health Information 

Clearinghouse

1-866-232-4528 (toll-free)

nidcrinfo@mail.nih.gov (email)

www.nidcr.nih.gov/oralhealth NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health®

April 2015

National Institute

on Aging

National Library of Medicine

MedlinePlus: Taste and Smell Disorders

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/

tasteandsmelldisorders.html

For more information on health and 

aging, contact: 

National Institute on Aging

Information Center 

P.O. Box 8057 

Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057 

1-800-222-2225 (toll-free) 

1-800-222-4225 (TTY/toll-free) 

niaic@nia.nih.gov (email) 

www.nia.nih.gov 

www.nia.nih.gov/espanol 

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