Taste
- Almost 1 in 5 Americans (or 19%) over the age of 40 reports some alteration in their sense of taste.1
- 1 in 20 Americans (or 5%) reports experiencing dysgeusia [dis-GYOO-zee-a], a disorder characterized by distorted taste.1 This disorder is often persistent.
- Dysgeusia is more commonly reported in women (64% of reported cases).1
- Based on their genetics, certain people can taste the bitterness of phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) or a related substance called 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP). In the United States, about 25% are super-tasters who describe PTC as extremely bitter, 50% are medium tasters of PTC, and 25% cannot taste PTC.2 Medium tasters and especially super-tasters tend to dislike more types of food, particularly if they are strongly flavored.3
- The ability to taste PTC/PROP varies around the world and among different ethnic and racial groups.2
- Compared to never smokers, dependent smokers (people who need to smoke within 30 minutes of waking) and chronic smokers (people who have smoked a pack daily for several years) reported lower sensitivity to bitter and salty tastes.4
- Among 138,897 COVID-19-positive patients, 39.2% reported taste dysfunction.5
- Among adults 40 and older, approximately 10% noted a loss in their ability to taste food flavors compared to when they were young adults. 5% reported distortions in their sense of taste, most commonly related to bitter and metallic tastes.1
- Among adults ages 40 or older who reported persistent dry mouth in the past year, approximately 43% experienced changes in their sense of taste.1
Smell
- Nearly 1 in 4 Americans (or 23%) over the age of 40 reports some alteration in their sense of smell.1
- Approximately 1 in 15 Americans (or 6.5%) over the age of 40 reports sometimes experiencing phantom odor perception. (The survey asked if participants smelled unpleasant, bad, or burning odors when nothing is there; not all phantom odor perception fits into this category.6)
- Approximately 1 in 8 Americans over age 40 (up to 13.3 million people, or 12.4% of the population) has measurable smell dysfunction.7
- Approximately 3% of Americans have anosmia (no sense of smell) or severe hyposmia (minimal sense of smell).7
- The prevalence of any type of smell impairment increases with age: 4% in Americans ages 40-49, 11% in Americans ages 50-59, 13% in Americans ages 60-69, 25% in Americans 70-79, and 39% in Americans ages 80 and above.7
- The prevalence of smell impairment is higher in men, ethnic minorities (non-Hispanic Black and Mexican American), and in those with lower educational attainment and/or family income.7
- On average, people with smell dysfunction eat a less healthy diet, with more saturated fats and added sugars.8
- A study of 1,636 people found that individuals with cognitive impairment are 3 times more likely than others to have mild to moderate olfactory impairment. The study also found that people with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease are 10 times more likely than others to have mild olfactory impairment, and 16 times more likely to have moderate olfactory impairment.9
Sources
- Rawal, S; Hoffman, HJ; Bainbridge, KE; Huedo-Medina, TB; Duffy, VB (2016): Prevalence and risk factors of self-reported smell and taste alterations: Results from the 2011–2012 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Chem Senses. Jan;41(1):69-76. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjv057.
- Guo, SW; Reed, DR (2001): The genetics of phenylthiocarbamide perception. Annals of Human Biology. Mar-Apr;28(2):111-42. doi: 10.1080/03014460151056310.
- Tepper, BJ (1998): 6-n-Propylthiouracil: A genetic marker for taste, with implications for food preference and dietary habits. American Journal of Human Genetics. Nov;63(5):1271-6. doi: 10.1086/302124.
- Berube, L; Duffy, VB; Hayes, JE; Hoffman, HJ; Rawal, S (2021): Associations between chronic cigarette smoking and taste function: Results from the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Physiol Behav. Oct 15:240:113554. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113554.
- Hannum, ME; Koch, RJ; Ramirez, VA; Marks, SS; Toskala, AK; Herriman, RD; Lin, C; Joseph, PV; Reed, DR (2023): Taste loss as a distinct symptom of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Chem Senses. Jan 1:48:bjad043. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjad043.
- Bainbridge, KE; Byrd-Clark, D; Leopold, D (2018): Factors associated with phantom odor perception among US adults: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. Sep 1;144(9):807-814. doi: 10.1001/jamaoto.2018.1446.
- Hoffman, HJ; Rawal, S; Li, CM; Duffy, VB (2016): New chemosensory component in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES): First year results for measured olfactory dysfunction. Rev Endocr Metab Disord. Jun;17(2):221-40. doi: 10.1007/s11154-016-9364-1.
- Rawal, S; Duffy, VB; Berube, L; Hayes, JE; Kant, AK; Li, CM; Graubard, BI; Hoffman, HJ (2021): Self-reported olfactory dysfunction and diet quality: Findings from the 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Nutrients. Dec 20;13(12):4561. doi: 10.3390/nu13124561.
- Karpa, MJ; Gopinath, B; Rochtchina, E; Wang, JJ; Cumming, RG; Sue, CM; Mitchell, P (2010): Prevalence and neurodegenerative or other associations with olfactory impairment in an older community. J Aging Health. Mar;22(2):154-168. doi:10.1177/0898264309353066.
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