FOOD
How taste and smell work (and why you really donât want COVID-19 to take these senses away)
The nature and fragility of taste and smell is now top of mind for many people, including scientists.
By Lisa Zwirn Globe Correspondent,Updated January 26, 2021, 12:00 p.m.
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For most people, taste and smell return once they have recovered from COVID-19.Stevica Mrdja/Microgen - stock.adobe.com
The same way eyesight, hearing, and physical strength vary among us, so does the ability to taste and smell. These senses, precious not just for eating but enjoying other facets of life, are some of the many wonders of the human body. And as many people now know from personal experience, COVID-19 can dull these senses. For some, the loss is temporary. For others, the loss lasts much longer.
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Two international studies confirm that for the majority of patients with respiratory infections who lose the sense of smell, this is due to COVID-19. The disease also often results in both loss of taste and the other senses in the mouth. A researcher from Aarhus University has contributed to the new results.
If you have had COVID-19, then forget about enjoying the smell of freshly made coffee. At any rate, two major international studies document that there is frequently a loss of smell and that this often lasts for a long time in cases of COVID-19
Alexander Wieck Fjaeldstad, is associate professor in olfaction and gustation at Aarhus University, and is behind the Danish part of the study.
The pressure of suffering is enormous
Experts estimate that up to 70 percent of COVID-19 patients suffer from smell and taste disorders. We spoke with Kathrin Ohla from the Jülich Research Center about an underestimated symptom.
Kathrin Ohla heads the Cognitive Neurophysiology working group at the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine at Forschungszentrum Jülich. The psychologist is a member of the steering group of the Global Consortium for Chemosensory Research (GCCR).
We have already had a conversation about your studies on olfactory and gustatory disorders in COVID-19 at the beginning of July. Since then, numerous sufferers have commented on this interview, the tenor being, Finally, I m finding something about my symptoms! This has almost resulted in a kind of self-help group. What do you think about the reactions?