

Aging produces several health consequences, such as frail bones, poor balance, a decrease in personal care, and a loss of taste. When older adults lose their sense of taste, they don’t eat as much and fail to receive the nutrients their bodies need. Each taste bud, which appears as a bump on the surface of the tongue, contains specialized cells that detect flavors in the foods seniors eat. These flavors include not only sweetness and saltiness, but bitterness, sourness, and savoriness. Taste buds allow older adults to enjoy various foods.
Main Takeaways:
- Reduced Taste Buds: Aging leads to fewer taste buds, decreasing taste sensitivity.
- Shrinking Taste Buds: Natural aging causes taste buds to shrink, affecting taste, especially for sweet and salty flavors.
- Less Saliva: Reduced saliva production in seniors makes it harder to taste food.
- Medications: Certain medications can alter taste or cause dry mouth.
- Oral Health: Gum disease and dentures can affect chewing and taste perception.
- Smoking/Drinking: These habits can damage taste buds.
- Viral Infections: Illnesses like colds or Covid-19 can temporarily reduce taste.
Consequences:
- Increased salt/sugar intake leading to health issues.
- Potential malnutrition and unintentional weight loss.
- Risk of consuming spoiled food.
What causes seniors to lose their sense of taste?
1. Decreased Number of Taste Buds
A natural outcome of aging is the reduced sense of taste. Babies are born with 10,000 taste buds that regenerate quickly during youth. However, as people grow older, their taste buds do not reproduce as quickly. In fact, some taste buds may not regenerate at all.
2. Taste Bud Shrinkage
All five senses fade as people age. It is no wonder that due to natural aging, seniors’ taste buds shrink. The shrinkage of taste buds over the years leads to a diminished sense of taste. Seniors first notice their loss of taste when eating sweet or salty foods.
3. Less Saliva Production
Seniors also produce less saliva as they age. Less saliva is available to dissolve food and the taste bud receptors fail to sense flavors. Dry mouth is common in seniors and, when combined with a reduced number of taste buds, leads to a loss of their sense of taste.
4. Medications
Medications are another cause of the loss of taste. Cholesterol medications, antibiotics, and drugs used to treat blood pressure can alter how food tastes. Antidepressants often make an individual’s mouth dry, which causes the abovementioned problems with taste in seniors.
5. Oral Health Issues
Gum disease also changes the way food tastes. Poor dental health may require that the senior wear dentures. Regardless of how well the dentures fit, they impact the quality of chewing. When food is not chewed well, it is not sensed by the taste buds’ receptors.
4. Smoking and Excessive Drinking
The taste of food changes when seniors consume alcohol or smoke. Cigarettes contain toxic chemicals that interact with the tongue, causing the taste buds to become flatter and lose their shape. Drinking high amounts of alcohol changes the sensitivity of the taste receptors.
5. Viral Infections
An older adult’s sense of taste can be temporarily diminished upon the onset of viral infections, such as the common cold, the flu, and Covid-19. The affected senior’s temporary loss of taste should return to normal after symptoms of the infection resolve.
What are the consequences of losing a sense of taste?
Aging adults who lose their sense of taste can experience adverse health outcomes, which, in turn, lower their quality of life. For example, when food tastes bland, the older person may add more salt or sugar to improve the flavors. When seniors shake on more salt or add a greater amount of sugar to the food they eat, this can cause ill health. High blood pressure can result when an older adult’s salt intake is too high. Similarly, eating an excessive amount of sugar increases the risk of diabetes.
Losing a sense of taste causes foods to not taste as good. As a result, seniors may not eat as much. Failing to consume a wide range of vitamin-rich foods leads to malnutrition. Furthermore, the senior may unintentionally shed weight, which can be unhealthy.
A sense of taste is also an important safety mechanism. The taste buds alert seniors when food tastes funny or spoiled and is therefore unsafe to eat. If older people cannot detect when their food is spoiled, they may inadvertently consume it and become ill.
How do seniors cope with a loss of taste?
Since the loss of taste is age-related, it is usually irreversible. If the reduced sense of taste is caused by the common cold, it is treatable and temporary. Seniors can make their food taste more palatable in ways other than reaching for the saltshaker or sugar packs.
Spices are valued for their ability to bring out flavors. Try sprinkling oregano, rosemary, cilantro or tarragon, on food. A splash of lemon juice infuses a meal, turning it into a zesty concoction. Enhance flavors by adding cinnamon, garlic powder, ginger, or chili pepper.
The temperature of food also impacts taste. Some seniors may prefer their food chilled or frozen, while others favor their meals warm. Experiment with temperature to find what tastes most appetizing. Incorporate frozen fruits or warm up leftovers to room temperature instead of hot.
Losing a sense of taste is natural. However, eating healthy meals is still necessary to fuel seniors’ bodies and give them nutrients. If your aging loved one struggles with eating meals, the caregivers at Assisting Hands Home Care can provide invaluable in-home support.
Our professional caregivers are experienced in senior home care. We prioritize the physical, emotional, and social health of the elderly individuals we serve. The non-medical care services we offer are comprehensive and support an older adult’s decision to age in place.
Typical caregiver responsibilities include healthy meal preparation. We cook meals in accordance with the senior’s dietary restrictions. Caregivers join seniors during mealtimes to provide them with socialization and the encouragement to eat, which helps them maintain a healthy weight.
Further care services include transportation to doctors’ offices, medication reminders, light housekeeping, grocery shopping, and help with personal hygiene tasks, like bathing and toileting. Our professionals are pleasant companions who stimulate seniors’ minds with card games, puzzles, recreational activities, outings, and friendly conversations.
When the senior in your life would benefit from quality home health care, choose Assisting Hand Home Care, serving Fort Worth, Texas, and the surrounding areas. Schedule your free in-home consultation and we’ll customize a flexible care plan. Call today and enhance your loved one’s overall well-being.