MINNEAPOLIS — Many people experience a change in their palette as they age.
“When I was younger, I didn’t really like spicy food, but now I can definitely go for spicy,” says Kos Raza.
M Health Fairview ENT specialist Neil Brown says we are born with about 10,000 taste buds.
“Your taste buds can change and evolve as you age, and some of that may be generic: your genes are turned on and off,” Brown said.
The small sensory organs that cover our tongue allow us to detect five basic tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami – a savory, rich or meaty taste.
“We lose them and they actually shrink over time. So in women I think it can start as early as age 40 and in men it can start as early as age 50,” Brown said. “The literature I looked at says that sweet and salty come first. Interestingly enough, bitter and sour don’t actually need that much stimulation.”
To avoid damaging your taste buds, don’t smoke, limit alcohol, practice good oral hygiene, and avoid scalding hot or frozen foods and drinks.
“You can burn your tongue and damage your taste buds, but they usually regenerate in about ten days,” Brown said.
The sense of smell also disappears after the age of 60 and the two senses are closely intertwined.
“If you came in here and said you couldn’t taste or smell, this (a smell test) is the first thing you would do,” Brown said.
A smell test gives a good impression of your senses and can help determine further testing or treatment.
“There is some evidence that you can retrain your brain,” Brown said. “As long as you have some sense of smell, there’s a chance we can get some of it back for you.”
Brown says it’s hard to know how much is nature versus nurture, because genetics plays a big role in the foods we like.
Kirsten Mitchell
