Part of the pleasure of eating comes from the sensory details, like the aroma of freshly baked bread or the zing of your favorite salad dressing. But as we age, these experiences can change, sometimes in ways we don’t immediately recognize. Here, experts explain how aging affects the way our favorite foods taste and what we can do to keep meals flavorful and satisfying.
When Your Senses Begin To Shift
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, 23% of Americans over the age of 40 report some alteration in their sense of smell. “[But] there isn’t a birthday when your senses suddenly change,” said Dr. Aaron Fletcher, a board-certified otolaryngologist and founder and director of Georgia Center for Ear, Nose, Throat and Facial Plastic Surgery. “Some people notice subtle differences in their 50s, with changes becoming more common after 60.”
Some of the earliest signs of sensory changes may be subtle. You may notice familiar foods taste blander, even when you follow the same recipe, or the aroma of your morning coffee may seem more muted. “You [might also] find yourself reaching for more seasoning to get the same satisfaction,” Fletcher said.
Why Your Favorite Foods May Taste Different
“What humans experience as taste or flavor is actually smell,” said Dr. Matt Hershcovitch, a double board-certified, fellowship-trained otolaryngologist and facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon and founder of SoCal Breathe Free Sinus and Allergy Centers, explaining that changes in our sense of smell can affect how we experience food. “Human beings have a much more developed sense of smell than we do sense of taste,” he added. As we age, changes in the olfactory system, including the loss of some smell-sensitive nerve cells, may make it harder to detect the aromas that give food its distinctive flavor.
Moisture in the nose can also affect our ability to detect smells. “Humidity and moisture allow for aromas to stimulate the olfactory bulb, the smell organ, much more strongly,” Hershcovitch said. As nasal moisture and the nose’s ability to maintain humidity decrease with age, odor molecules may have a harder time reaching the receptors responsible for detecting smells.
Taste buds play a role, too. We’re born with around 10,000, and may begin to lose them after age 50. “Taste buds contain the sensory cells that help us recognize sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami, the savory taste in foods like broth,” says Fletcher. “If there are fewer taste buds or fewer functioning cells within them, it can take a stronger concentration to register the same taste.”
Saliva is another piece of the puzzle. “As we age, saliva production declines,” Hershcovitch said. “Saliva is essential for dissolving particles of food, lubricating the oral cavity, and carrying these particles to taste receptors.”
It Affects Everyone Differently
Not everyone notices these changes at the same age or to the same degree. “Some people maintain excellent senses of smell into their 80s,” Hershcovitch said. “However, more than 75% of people over the age of 80 demonstrate a measurable loss of intense smell.”
Environmental exposures can also contribute to these differences. “Smoking, pollution, upper respiratory infections and other events can damage the epithelium over the olfactory bulb,” Hershcovitch said, noting that the damage can be cumulative. “For example, smokers are far more likely to have damage with age.”
How These Changes Can Affect Your Diet
Hershcovitch said sweet and salty flavors can become harder to detect with age. “Older adults usually need substantially higher concentrations of salt and sugar to get the same intensity of flavor,” he explained. “Bitter and sour usually maintain better sensation as we age.” As a result, the balance of a dish can shift, making familiar meals less enjoyable.
When eating becomes less satisfying, appetite and interest in food can decline, too, with some adding extra salt or sweeteners to compensate. “Unfortunately, this can also lead to deleterious effects of one’s diet,” Hershcovitch said.
Age Isn’t The Only Thing Changing Your Senses
Aging isn’t the only factor that can affect taste and smell; medications can also be another culprit. “Drugs for high blood pressure, depression or cholesterol frequently alter taste pathways, leaving a metallic or bitter residue in the mouth,” explained Dr. Manisha Parulekar, chief of the Division of Geriatrics and co-director of the Center for Memory Loss and Brain Health at Hackensack University Medical Center. “They also commonly cause dry mouth.”
Your oral health matters, too. “Gum disease, untreated infections, or poorly fitting dentures can create a persistent, unpleasant taste that overpowers the actual flavor of your food, making everything taste off or bland,” Parulekar said.
Allergies, sinus problems and a previous COVID-19 infection can further affect taste or smell, potentially making age-related changes more noticeable, said Dr. Angela Hsu, a geriatrician at Kaiser Permanente in Virginia. “And it may be harder to recover when something causes additional smell loss.”
Simple Tricks For More Flavorful Meals
If your usual meals have started to taste a little flat, a few simple tweaks can bring them back to life without adding extra salt or sugar, which is especially important if you have a condition like high blood pressure or diabetes. “Fresh herbs like sage, thyme or rosemary, a little olive oil, or mustard, hot pepper, onions, garlic, ginger and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice can put some zing back into a meal,” Hsu said.
It also helps to make your plate visually appealing. “Eat with your eyes,” Hsu added, suggesting brightly colored vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes and red and yellow peppers. Hsu continued, “Losing some taste and smell can make eating less enjoyable, so it’s important to keep having good, nutritious meals.”
Parulekar recommends paying attention to texture and temperature. “Contrasting texture, like pairing something crunchy with something creamy, makes eating physically more engaging,” she said. “Additionally, serving food warm rather than cold helps release volatile aromatic compounds into the air, maximizing whatever smell function remains.”
How To Support Your Senses
While we can’t reverse the biological loss of nerve endings and taste buds, addressing treatable problems may restore some flavor. “Adjust medications causing dry mouth, treat underlying sinus inflammation, and tackle dental issues,” said Parulekar, who recommends starting with these steps.
A few everyday habits can also help support your sense of taste and smell over time. “To preserve function, I recommend staying well-hydrated to support saliva production, maintaining excellent oral hygiene,” Parulekar said, “and considering olfactory training [by] actively and deliberately smelling strong, familiar scents like coffee, citrus or cloves daily to help keep those neural pathways engaged and active.”