Vitamin deficiencies lead to loss of taste

By Barbara Quinn
The Monterey County Herald

"You just have no idea what it's like not to taste your food," an elderly woman told me recently. "I'm 94 years old and I'm losing my taste buds," she explained. Fascinating how taste works: Food and beverages release tiny molecules that stimulate nerve cells in our nose, mouth and throat. These cells then send messages to our brain, which figures out what taste we have experienced: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, or savory (also known as "umami," which rhymes with "sunami"). Taste cells are concentrated in "taste buds" in our mouth, tongue and throat. Those little bumps on your tongue contain taste buds, for example.

Food "flavor" is determined not only by taste but texture, temperature (hot coffee has a different flavor than cold coffee), and odor. For instance, if you hold your nose and eat a piece of chocolate you can identify the taste as sweet or bitter but you may not be able to detect its full flavor.

The good news: Although our senses of taste and smell decline as we get older, there are other treatable reasons for a loss of taste.

The bad news: Finding those reasons is not always easy.

"The mouth reflects the culmination of multiple stressors over the years," says one resource "and as the mouth ages, it is less able to tolerate these stressors."

For example, certain medications such as antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs can affect taste sensations. So can cigarette smoking. Other taste disorders can result from dental surgery or radiation therapy for head and neck cancers. And any disease that affects the nervous system—such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's—may also be associated with taste disorders.

Nutrition deficiencies can also contribute to a reduced ability to taste food. Here are a few to note:

• Folic acid (or folate)—abundant in legumes and vegetables and green leafy "foliage"—helps in the formation of new cells within the body. Interestingly, a deficiency of this vitamin can show up as a smooth, red tongue and resulting loss of taste sensation. Blood tests can detect if a deficiency of this vitamin exists.

• Vitamin B-12—a vitamin found almost exclusively in foods of animal origin (meat, fish, chicken, eggs, milk)—is closely related to folic acid. So a deficiency of one is often linked to a deficiency of the other. A deficiency of vitamin B-12 may affect the nerves that carry taste sensations to the brain. Best to cook meat and other B-12 containing foods by another method.

• Thiamin—a B-vitamin found primarily in whole grain or enriched grain products—occupies a special site on nerve cells. A deficiency of thiamin can therefore interfere with normal taste sensations.

• Zinc—a trace mineral found in high amounts in oysters, beef and crab—supports several processes in the body, including the perception of taste. A deficiency of zinc can cause changes in taste and appetite.

What's the big deal? Taste provides an important function. It helps us know if we are eating something good or something spoiled. It encourages us to eat a variety of foods with a variety of nutrients. When food doesn't taste the way it is supposed to taste, it becomes difficult to eat foods that sustain health and vitality. Any problem you have with altered taste is worth checking out.