When You Lose Your Sense of Smell or Taste

Taking certain medications — like some antidepressants, tranquilizers, antibiotics, antihistamines, anti-hypertensive, and anti-cholinergic drugs — can also take a toll. And deficiencies in various nutrients, including vitamin B-12 and vitamin D, are associated with olfactory dysfunction, Turner notes. In fact, a study published in the 2020 issue of the journal Nutrients found that adults ages 40 and older who had a vitamin D deficiency were 39 percent more likely to have smell impairment. 

The potential consequences extend beyond not being able to smell the roses. “A major concern with the loss of smell is safety,” Benninger says. “We use our noses to detect things like fire before we can see it and spoiled food.” That’s why it’s essential for people with loss of smell to have fully functioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and to check the expiration dates on food labels, Turner says.

How taste fades and how it may affect health

With a decline in your sense of smell often comes a decreased ability to taste. That’s because “90 percent of taste is really due to smell,” Hirsch says. “If you eat chocolate while holding your nose, it tastes like chalk.” While less common, having an oral infection (such as gingivitis or periodontal disease), dry mouth, diabetes or high blood pressure can compromise your sense of taste on its own, Hirsch says. “And head trauma can cause taste loss without smell loss or vice versa or both.”

Not only do people with taste or smell dysfunction get less enjoyment out of eating, they can also face health issues, Turner says. “As people get older, a lot of those folks can have nutritional deficiencies and weight loss.” In fact, a study in a 2016 issue of the European Journal of Nutrition found that older women with moderate to severe olfactory impairment compared to those without impairment had a significantly poorer diet quality. More recently, a study in a 2021 issue of The Journal of Nutrition found that older adults with diminished taste function had poorer diet quality compared to those with normal taste function.

Sharpening these senses

To protect your senses of smell and taste from further damage, avoid exposure to cigarette smoke and vaping as well as chemicals and harsh cleaning products. You may also be able to improve your nose's receptor sites by giving yourself olfactory training (a.k.a. smell therapy): Take a handful of scents from everyday life or essential oils (such as anise, ginger, lavender, lemon, sandalwood, and others) and smell them each deeply for around four minutes twice a day. Doing so may also help train your brain to associate certain sensations with particular smells, Benninger says.

Stacey Colino is an award-winning writer, specializing in health, psychology, and science. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, Prevention, Newsweek, Parade, and many other national magazines.