Thread: So what happens if you lose your sense of smell?

My understanding is that nearly 80% of what we percieve as taste is actually smell. So if you lose the sense of smell you largely lose you sense of taste as well. Put simply food would taste much blander and almost 'tasteless'.

Cheers
KarlB

My wife was hit by a (small) truck on a ped. xing. She suffered a fractured skull with some brain damage to the area of the brain that controls sense and smell. The same area of the brain controls both taste and smell so any damage results in loss of both senses.

Originally Posted by KarlB

My understanding is that nearly 80% of what we percieve as taste is actually smell. So if you lose the sense of smell you largely lose you sense of taste as well. Put simply food would taste much blander and almost 'tasteless'.

Cheers
KarlB

Yes, I believe that if you blindfold someone, put a slice of apple under their nose and give them a potato to eat, they will be convinced that they are eating apple.

your sense of taste is deminished...

most of the time the only warning I get that the food is too spicey is when my ass catches fire the next day. for most people, If I can taste it then its overspiced.

that said, my sense of smell isnt totally gone, I can smell licorice and a few other things but usually the concentration has to be right up there in the "you have already recieved a fatal dose" catagory.. I can walk into a darrel lee's, stand next to the display of the licorice and just get the scent. some times I do it just for the pleasure of being able to smell something thats not going bad for my health.

Originally Posted by KarlB

My understanding is that nearly 80% of what we percieve as taste is actually smell. So if you lose the sense of smell you largely lose you sense of taste as well. Put simply food would taste much blander and almost 'tasteless'.

That's fairly close. You don't actually lose your sense of taste depending on the circumstances. I can only speek about smell and things do become blander but not tasteless.

You realise how much smell actually enhances our lives. You start to experience the true tastes and the textures of food. Sometimes you need to look at what you are eating to verify things with your mind.

Red wine is now a different beast as is whisky. Suffice to say taste is definitely only half the pleasure of those two

A partial to almost complete lose of smell is Hyposmia, a total lose is Anosmia.

Look on the bright side.When somebody drops their guts its totally wasted on you!!!
How does one loose their sense of smell???
I must admit I really enjoy the smell of a good curry cooking,fresh cut lawns,the 500 roses in the main street in town when in bloom.
I wouldnt want to loose it!!!
Andrew

We have two friends who have lost their sense smell to varying degrees.

First was a mate who went to the dentist to talk about root canal work. He's not one for blood and pus and passed out standing in front of the lightbox looking at xrays with the fang banger. Woke up in an ambulance having smashed his head on the hard floor and been out for a while. He was severely concussed and suffered from dizziness and vomiting for about a month. Sense of smell was gone and the neurologists thought he'd get it back. That was years ago.

He's sick of everyone making fart jokes as soon as they know.

He misses being able to taste good food.

The second case was one of the Girlie's friends who picked up a bad case of sinusitis. The snots eventually left and her sense of smell went at the same time. The medicos can't really explain it but are not hopeful much will improve. She can barely taste anything.

Both still have sensations of sweet, sour, bitterness and salt but limited receptivity to much else.

Yes, the fart jokes wear thin.