A feast without flavour: The hidden impact of smell and taste loss at Christmas
By: Communications
Imagine sitting down to a festive feast and tasting… nothing.
For thousands of people in the UK, smell and taste disorders turn Christmas into a season without flavour or aroma impacting joy, nutrition, and even mental health.
These conditions affect one in five people and become more common with age, yet they’re often overlooked.
Prof Carl Philpott, from Norwich Medical School, said: “Covid has changed some things we thought we knew about viral smell loss. Unlike other viruses, the COVID virus can switch off smell overnight and it invades via the cells next to the smell receptors, not the receptors themselves. For some, their sense of smell remains absent or diminished permanently.”
“Christmas can be a particularly difficult time for people who have lost their sense of smell and taste, missing out on aromas like the Christmas tree and mulled wine, or being able to taste their Christmas dinner, mince pies and chocolates.”
“Our research has also shown that people who have lost their sense of smell lose interest in preparing food and some say they are too embarrassed to serve dishes to family and friends - which can have a real impact at Christmas time.”
Smells link us to people, places and emotional experiences. People who have lost their sense of smell miss out on all those memories that scent can evoke.
Previous research has shown that people who have lost their sense of smell also report high rates of depression, anxiety, isolation and relationship difficulties.
“The good news is that simple techniques like smell training, using everyday items from your cupboard, can help restore scents and improve quality of life. Smell retraining and therapies like vitamin A nasal drops offer hope, but we need more investment and awareness to help those living with long-term loss.”
“For thousands, it’s still a daily struggle. Recovery isn’t guaranteed, and that’s why research matters,” he added.
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