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The sense of smell and taste are closely intertwined. When nasal congestion occurs during a cold, the taste you have can be affected to where you can only have the base tastes of salty, sweet, bitter, or sour.

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13y ago
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8y ago

With a cold, your tissues swell in response to the effects of the virus. This causes the taste buds to be 'covered' somewhat and the smell receptors to be blocked. Your taste is really both working together. You may notice that you can taste a little bit but the sense of smell is gone.

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11y ago

this is because our sense of taste depends on our sense of smell. When we have colds and our nose is congested, our sense of smell is affected and so is our sense of taste....

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Q: How many catching a cold affect your sense of taste?
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Why you can't taste food when you have a bad cold?

Because the sensation of taste is closely tied to your sense of smell. The combination of your taste buds and the smell of food is what makes your brain recognize a taste. When you have a cold, your nose gets clogged and you can't smell as well as you normally can, so in your head, foods don't taste the same because you're not getting the normal amount of "taste information" from your nose" This is also why people hold their nose when eating something they don't like and why inhaling when you're eating spicy food makes them seem spicier.


Do you lose your taste buds after 80 years old?

Your sense of taste is connected to your ability to smell. If your nasal passages are blocked, lets say because of a cold or the flu, your ability to taste will be impaired. Smokers regularly report that their sense of taste is diminished, probably as a result of continual tobacco use. There is no definitive data suggesting that we lose our sense of taste as we age.


What variable can affect the taste of a soft drink?

Some variables are if it is new or old, hot or cold, diet or normal


Does sense of smell and sight affect food taste?

Most of the time, what we call taste is intrinsicially tied to smell. Traditionally taste has only 4 measurable concepts: salty, sweet, sour, bitter. Some cultures regard savoriness and piquance as major taste experiences, and taste buds can also detect fatty acids as a distinct flavor.Taste also determines texture and temperature.Smell is capable of a much wider variance because it detects actual chemical molecules released into the air, and further refines them (as does taste) by their intensity (or molecular concentration).Smell and TasteThe ability to distinguish various foods relies predominantly on the sense of smell. This explains why foods seem to have little taste for a person who is suffering from a head cold. The taste and smell of appetizing foods prepare the digestive tract for digestion by stimulating the flow of saliva in the mouth and gastric juice in the stomach. Our chemorecptors used for both taste and smell adapt quickly to any stimulus. One reason Americans may be becoming more obese as a population is that we serve too much food in one course. It is usually the case that we actually stop tasting our food after the 3rd or 4th bite, but we don't realize it because we are still smelling it. The nasal cavity and oral cavity are closely connected, separated only by the palate. So it makes sense that the two senses go hand in hand.An ExperimentI recently did a science experiment for the school science fair. My results said that what you smell does affect what you taste. I had people eat starburst candy while smelling vanilla extract. The majority of the people said that the smell of the vanilla made the starburst taste odd. Others couldn't even taste while they were smelling the vanilla.


What is the interaction between taste and smell?

How are smell and taste related? The answer is simple: When we taste, we use our sense of smell. Have you ever noticed why when you have a cold, or you've plugged your nose, you can't taste the food in your mouth? This is because we assume automatically that what we are smelling is going to taste that way. So it does. Most of the time. When you taste, you are using your sense of smell to kind of tell you what it is that your eating. If you were to close your eyes and hold your nose and then taste apples and a potato, you wouldn't be able to tell a difference. At all. Except maybe the texture. ~Thanks, WorldBook 2001 Edition.

Related questions

Why should you not feel food tasty when suffers from cold?

Because a cold dulls your sense of taste and smell.


What can affect your sense of smell?

Hay fever, a cold, alcohol,


How do you get your taste back if you have a cold?

Technically, we only "taste" sweet, sour, salt and bitter. The tongue can only sense those 4 tastes. The rest of what we often call "taste buds" is actually the smell of food. If you have a sinus infection you can often lose the sense of smell. As soon as your cold passes, you are decongested and you start feeling better, your sense of taste should come right back! If you can't taste anything at all, even after you are well, You may need some medical assistance in recovering your sense of smell. Unfortunately there are some who lose their sense of smell and never get it back. Only a doctor can assist you on this one.


Can scent change your taste?

Yes. As an example, think of a time when you had a flu or cold. Your sense of taste would have been severely reduced.


Why does water taste strange when you have a cold?

You can't taste because your nose is stuffed and your sense of smell greatly contributes to your sense of taste


Can you temporarily lose your sense of smell but can still taste while that is going on even without a cold?

There are reasons why you might lose your sense of smell even if you don't have a cold. Taste may not be diminished fully but there might be a decrease in smell with certain medical conditions.


Do you need more than one sense to taste?

no. Well the taste buds will detect 4 different 'tastes': sweet, sour, salt, and bitter. But, the sense of smell will add to the experience known as 'taste'. If you have a cold, and your nose is stopped up, things taste different than 'normal'.


What can help you get your taste back if you have a cold?

Technically, we only "taste" sweet, sour, salt and bitter. The tongue can only sense those 4 tastes. The rest of what we often call "taste buds" is actually the smell of food. If you have a sinus infection you can often lose the sense of smell. As soon as your cold passes, you are decongested and you start feeling better, your sense of taste should come right back! If you can't taste anything at all, even after you are well, You may need some medical assistance in recovering your sense of smell. Unfortunately there are some who lose their sense of smell and never get it back. Only a doctor can assist you on this one.


What is the effect of smell in tasting pure substances?

What is being tasted is irrelevant. How is your sense of taste when you have a cold, or if you hold your nose? The great majoroty of what we perceive as taste is really smell.


What is a sentence with the idiom catch a cold?

I think I am catching a cold.Do you think you are catching a cold?


Does refrigeration change the taste of fruits?

Freon is odorless and tasteless, so it will not affect the contents inside. However, the material used in the refrigerator walls and the freezer compartment may emit slight amounts of odor, but not enough to affect the taste of food and drinks.


What variables can affect taste of a soft drink?

Some variables are if it is new or old, hot or cold, diet or normal