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Smoking impairs our sense of taste and smell by dulling the taste buds and olfactory nerves. This loss of taste is gradual, but quitting smoking can reverse the impairment and restore the ability to enjoy flavors and aromas.
Many people are aware of the health risks associated with smoking, but not everyone is aware of how smoking can affect the function of our senses on a daily basis. One of the best examples of this type of sensory impairment is with our ability to taste. This is what causes smokers to experience an impaired sense of taste.
The action of taste is actually a combination of the work of the taste buds on the tongue and the olfactory senses in the nose. The nerves that carry stimuli to and from these locations can be affected by a number of different factors. Essentially, anything that interferes with or blunts the nerves’ ability to accurately register various types of stimuli will result in an impaired sense of taste.
When it comes to smoking a cigarette or cigar, the smoker puts the taste buds in contact with chemicals that tend to dull the taste buds’ ability to register the four basic tastes that the system is designed to recognize. Chemicals don’t completely destroy the taste buds’ ability to recognize salty, sweet, sour, and bitter flavors. However, the degree of recognition has significantly decreased.
At the same time, smokers also inhale and exhale the smoke from cigarettes through their nose and mouth. The chemicals in cigarettes also dull the ability of the olfactory nerves to register the aromas of foods as well. Since our sense of taste is actually a combination of taste and smell, smoking tends to lead to an impaired sense of taste by interfering with both forms of sensory recognition.
This loss of taste is usually a gradual process, so the smoker doesn’t realize that they are no longer getting the same level of pleasure from their food. In fact, food can still register enough of a sense of taste to be highly enjoyable even for someone who has smoked for years. Therefore, the smoker is likely unaware that his or her sense of taste has been impaired.
Fortunately, this impaired sense of taste isn’t permanent. Many people who quit smoking notice that within two days after smoking their last cigarette the aroma and taste of food becomes much more powerful and distinct. This is because the taste buds and nerve endings in the nose begin to awaken or regenerate from the depression caused by the chemicals in cigarettes. Over time, the impairment in taste is fully reversed, and you can once again enjoy all the flavors and smells associated with your favorite dishes.
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