• Question: Is it true that your taste buds die after a while meaning that you can't taste things as much as you could before?

    Asked by fayeandcoral to Gioia, Iain, Jo, Leo, Mariam on 22 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Iain Moal

      Iain Moal answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      Yes, it is true. As people get older, they lose their taste buds. When people get into their 70s and 80s, their sense of tast is much diminished compared to people in their teens.

      Some people naturally have more tastebuds than others. Those who have loads are called ‘supertasters’ and have a very sensitive sense of taste.

    • Photo: Mariam Orme

      Mariam Orme answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      I’m not sure. I have heard that older people don’t tend to have such a good sense of taste, maybe that’s why.
      And smoking kills off your tastebuds, so smokers can’t taste as well as normal.

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