Do you have poor sense of smell and taste?

If you have, you may be deficient in ZINC 

Zinc deficiency suppresses taste and smell and leads to loss of appetite. The reason is that zinc is essential for the taste perception is because taste is mediated through a salivary zinc-dependent polypeptide termed gustin, therefore low salivary zinc levels invariably leads to a reduction of taste.

Zinc deficiencies are generally short-term, and symptoms can be quickly relieved by restoring adequate zinc in the diet.

Zinc is known to alter taste and smell and is thought to be a factor in some cases of anorexia and bulimia

If on a long term basis you don’t smell things as well as you once did, there could be many explanations. Advancing age can be a contributing factor, possibly because infection has taken its toll or because you’ve sniffed too many noxious fumes over the years. Moreover, you shouldn’t be surprised if you temporarily lose your sense of smell because you’ve had an infection such as a bad cold.

Head injury is another possible cause if the delicate nerves leading from your nose to your brain are damaged. Also, certain prescription drugs can rob you of some ability to enjoy the fragrance of flowers, perfume, or fresh-baked apple pie.

As smell slips away, your sense of taste may suffer, too. The two senses are so closely related that people who complain of not being able to smell often say that they also have trouble tasting.

Find out more about zinc

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