As you grow up, all your senses, including taste, gradually change. But you’ll most likely notice it because the things you used to love eating as a child no longer appeal to you. Many adults don’t like the sugary items they did when they were younger, not just for health reasons. The colourful juices you used to drink every birthday party can now make you nauseous.
Similarly, items like pumpkins or avocados may be rejected by kids, but adults like them. Many adults prefer more complex flavours, such as coffee or beer. This isn’t to say that you may not keep your childhood preferences. Some adults still dislike the taste of certain vegetables that they were averse to as children, such as tomato skins.
Why does taste change as we grow older?
The tongue has 10,000 taste buds which can differentiate between sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and savoury or umami. Taste goes hand-in-hand with the smell. They both play a role in how you enjoy a meal. The smell also helps you distinguish if a food is spoiled or burnt. As you grow older, the taste buds shrink, and the panel of how many things you can identify by flavour declines.
Children and pregnant people are highly sensitive to tastes and smells. Studies show that children may crave more sugary things because the body needs more energy to grow and function. By puberty, children change to require more complex foods.
In addition to age, your salivary glands producing less saliva can alter your ability to taste. This can happen if your glands are damaged.
Some medications can also alter how food tastes. Antibiotics, antidepressants, blood pressure, and high cholesterol meds can change how your tongue works. They can also lead to a dry mouth, which alters the flavour and makes swallowing difficult. However, if this happens, you should let your doctor know. Don’t stop taking your medication.
For some adults, gum disease can also change how food tastes. An infection in your mouth can also leave a weird taste, even without eating. Proper dental hygiene can prevent this, but you should consult a dentist if the funny taste is still there.
Drugs like alcohol and cigarettes can also affect the taste of food. Most recently, coronavirus has shown symptoms of lost taste. Not everyone infected will lose taste; other respiratory infections can lead to no taste.
Why is taste important?
Senses like taste and smell are essential for distinguishing the nutritional value of our foods. Children being highly sensitive to strong smells can help you identify any perfumes, oils, or soaps that may be bad for their growing bodies. For adults, less sensitivity means they can withstand more complex smells and flavours. This can be seen as an evolutionary advantage because it allows adults to have more diverse social interactions.
Adults can also get used to specific strong tastes when routinely exposed to them. Fruits like bitter melon make foods richer, but only after continuous exposure can it become an acquired taste, but this is easier for adults than children.
Taste buds stop growing after age 40, and regeneration becomes less frequent. As they become fewer, more flavour is needed in food for the impact to be felt. Older people are more likely to add more chillis, salt, or spices to their food to make it flavourful.
In addition, studies suggest that smell is lost as we age because of neurotransmitters linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Unlike taste, you don’t notice as your sense of smell diminishes. The aromas adults lose sensitivity to vary. You may be able to smell roses while your peers struggle to find the appeal. However, you can learn to identify different smells and tastes as you age and enjoy more flavours.
Check out:
What Your Tongue Says About Your Health
Wellness: The 10 Principles Of Intuitive Eating
Parenting: Things That Affect The Taste Of Breast Milk
Here Are Reasons Why You Need To Ditch The Salt. See How This Can Save Your Life
