[Music] so how's the vegetable soup little kitty kitty doesn't know it's kind of bland Bland but I used spices from around the world maybe you've lost your sense of taste really what m good question let me answer it with a tasteless mystery what if you lose your sense of taste zoom in Imagine biting into your favorite dish only to be met with nothing no sweet no sour no salty or savory just Bland nothingness this is what it feels like for someone with AIA the complete loss of taste but before we explore why this happens let's
take a quick look at how taste actually works it all starts with taste buns tiny structures located on your tongue and other areas of your mouth each taste but contains receptor cells that detect one of five basic flavors sweet salty sour bitter and umam when food hits your tongue these receptors pick up on the chemical compounds in the food and turn them into signals these signals travel along nerves to the brain which interprets them so that you can actually taste what you're eating but taste doesn't work alone it's tightly connected with other senses like smell
texture and even temperature creating a complete sensory experience that makes eating enjoyable if you'd like to dive deep into this check out our video how do we detect taste now when any part of this taste system is disrupted it can mess up the whole eating experience this disruption sometimes leads to a juicier a total loss of taste more commonly people experience a partial loss of taste hypo juia or a distorted sense of taste dis juia but through a juia is rare and when it does happen it can have various causes for example in infections like
covid-19 the flu or sinusitis can interfere with taste by affecting your nasal passages or causing inflammation in your mouth medications are another common cause drugs like antibiotics antihistamines and chemotherapy treatments can sometimes interfere with how the brain processes taste signals other other causes include underlying conditions like diabetes Alzheimer's disease and stroke which can damage the nerves involved in taste even lifestyle choices like smoking can dull the person's taste buds sometimes leading to partial or complete loss of taste over time remember my friends losing the ability to taste has more than just culinary consequences besides taking
away the joy of eating it can lead to issues like malnutrition or weight loss as people may eat less or fail to notice spoiled foods and if food plays an important role in someone's cultural or social life it can also affect mental health leading to anxiety or depression so what can we do about this tasteless dilemma well fortunately ausia is often temporary still for treatment identifying and addressing the underlying cause is vital if an infection is the reason recovering from it usually restores taste for medications switching prescriptions might help for smokers quitting can often help
regain their sense of taste within days sometimes ausa is linked to nutritional deficiencies like noow zinc or vitamin B12 which can be managed with supplements good oral hygiene and staying hydrated also play a role as saliva helps dissolve food particles making it easier for taste buds to pick them up so while ausa is really permanent taking care of your overall health whether it's managing infections eating a balanced diet or quitting smoking can help preserve this essential sense dvia time did you know the word Umami comes from Japanese and literally means delicious Savory taste it was
discovered in 1909 by Japanese scientist Dr kikuna while he was enjoying a bowl of kelp bro sketching time today's sketch of the day goes to Jaga and masin hope you learned something new today until next time it's me Dr Inox zooming [Music] out yummy never mind