Taste buds can change as we age due to various factors, including genetics, changes in hormone levels, medical conditions, and medications.
As we get older, our taste buds may become less sensitive, leading to a decreased ability to taste certain flavors. This can make foods taste less intense or less enjoyable than they did when we were younger. Additionally, the number of taste buds we have may decrease as we age, which can further impact our ability to taste certain flavors.
Hormonal changes, such as those that occur during menopause, can also affect taste buds. For example, some women may experience a decreased sensitivity to bitter flavors during menopause.
Certain medical conditions or medications can also affect taste buds. For example, chemotherapy can cause taste changes, and some medications may alter taste perception.
Lastly, genetics can play a role in taste perception. Some people may be born with a heightened sensitivity to certain flavors, while others may be less sensitive.
Overall, taste bud changes are a natural part of aging, but there are things we can do to help maintain our ability to taste, such as maintaining good oral hygiene and eating a variety of flavorful foods.
Around age 40, everything starts to worsen. Our taste buds start to stop developing back at that point. Every taste bud experiences a continuous cycle of rebirth, death, and birth that lasts for roughly two weeks. These taste buds are regularly shed and regrown on a healthy tongue. The buds continue to die and shed after we reach middle age, but as the years pass, less and fewer of them regenerate.
And, indeed, after we reach middle age, our sense of smell also begins to decline. Current study is examining the brain underlying this transition.
When it comes to routine smell and taste tests, by the time the majority of us reach 80, it’s almost as if we have no sense of smell at all.
The strange thing is that each person has a completely different range of specific fragrances to which we lose sensitivity. For instance, a person may no longer be able to detect vanilla well, whereas her husband may still be able to detect vanilla but not roses.
So enjoy your life to the fullest before it gets too late!!
Source: Why your tastebuds change as you get older? | Unique Times Magazine
