Depression and anxiety can affect a person’s ability to taste, especially sweetness. Genetic factors determine a person’s ability to taste, with 25% of Americans being supertasters and 25% being non-tasters. Impaired taste can worsen depression and anxiety by contributing to poor eating habits.
Depression and anxiety can impair a person’s ability to taste, as well as the effectiveness of their other senses. People who have mood disorders related to disturbances in serotonin and norepinephrine levels, such as depression or anxiety, are significantly less able to savor all tastes, especially sweetness.
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A person’s ability to taste is largely determined by genetic factors. About 25% of Americans are “supertastors,” meaning they are born with more taste buds than the average person. Supertasters experience flavors much more strongly than the average person and can detect extremely subtle flavors. There’s a downside, though: Supertasters also have a higher pain reception in the mouth and tend to dislike many foods, which can lead to nutritional issues.
There are also non-tasters – the opposite of supertasters – who have a lower than average number of taste buds. An estimated 25% of Americans are not tasters.
The impaired ability to taste could actually exacerbate the effects of depression and anxiety, because it can contribute to poor eating habits. Mood disorders are closely related to nutrition, so impaired taste ability coupled with lack of motivation for food preparation can lead to poor diet and poor eating habits.
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