Stroke's Impact: Losing Taste Sensations, What You Need To Know

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is cut off, killing brain cells. This can affect a person's ability to taste and smell. In fact, up to a third of people who have had a stroke find that their sense of taste or smell changes. This can be upsetting as enjoying food and drink is an important part of life, and taste and smell are closely connected to our feelings and memories. It can also make it harder to eat a healthy diet and reduce the risk of further strokes.

Loss of taste and smell after a stroke is common

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is cut off, resulting in the death of brain cells. This can cause changes to a person's senses of taste and smell, as the brain regions responsible for interpreting taste and smell information are affected. Indeed, up to a third of people who have had a stroke report changes to their sense of taste or smell.

Types of Taste Disorders

There are several types of taste disorders that can occur after a stroke:

• Ageusia is the loss of taste.
• Hypogeusia is a reduced ability to taste, leading to a bland sensation.
• Dysgeusia is a distorted sense of taste, where food may taste bitter, metallic, salty, or unpleasantly sweet.
• Phantogeusia is when a bitter or metallic taste is perceived even when eating something that should not contain those flavours.

Impact on Quality of Life

Changes in taste and smell can significantly impact a person's quality of life. Enjoying food and drink is an important part of life, and our senses of taste and smell are closely connected to our feelings and memories. When these senses are altered, it can lead to a reduced appetite, and subsequently, inadequate nutrition and hydration. It can also lead to overeating or cravings for sweet or salty foods, making it challenging to maintain a balanced diet, which is crucial for stroke recovery.

Management Strategies

While taste and smell changes can be upsetting and challenging, there are strategies to help manage them:

• Adding colour and crunch to meals with vegetables like carrots, peas, and red peppers.
• Using herbs and spices to enhance flavour, while avoiding excess salt and sugar.
• Consuming food at cooler temperatures to reduce strong or sweet flavours.
• Staying hydrated with water, low-sugar drinks, tea, and coffee to get rid of any bad taste in the mouth.
• Seeking support from a dietitian or nutritionist to ensure adequate nutrition and hydration.
• Maintaining good oral hygiene and regular dental check-ups, as oral health can impact taste and smell.
• Connecting with support groups or helplines specifically for stroke survivors and their families.

Dysgeusia is a taste disorder that causes food to taste weird

Dysgeusia can cause food to taste metallic, sweet, sour, or bitter. It can also cause foods that are usually sweet or salty to lose those flavours. In some cases, dysgeusia can cause food to taste rotten or rancid.

The condition can be caused by a variety of factors, including ageing, medications, dental prostheses, certain medical conditions, dry mouth, and infections. It is also common during pregnancy and as a result of vitamin or mineral deficiencies.

Dysgeusia is often temporary and can be treated by addressing the underlying cause. For example, if the condition is caused by a vitamin deficiency, taking supplements can help resolve the issue. Maintaining good oral hygiene and staying hydrated can also help alleviate the symptoms of dysgeusia.

It is worth noting that dysgeusia is different from ageusia, which is the complete loss of taste. Dysgeusia can be upsetting as it affects one's enjoyment of food and drink, which are important parts of life. It can also make it challenging to maintain a healthy diet and reduce the risk of further health issues.

A stroke can cause a distorted sense of taste, smell, or both

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is cut off, killing brain cells. This can cause a distorted sense of taste, smell, or both. Up to a third of people who have had a stroke experience changes to their senses of taste and smell. This is because the brain's ability to interpret information about taste and smell from the nose and tongue can be damaged.

The senses of taste and smell are closely connected and work together. The tongue can detect five basic tastes: salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and umami or savoury. Flavour, however, depends mainly on your sense of smell. When you eat or drink, molecules hit the taste receptors on your tongue. At the same time, when you breathe, smell molecules hit the smell receptors at the back of your nose. The taste and smell receptors then send information through nerves to the brain, which combines the information to let you detect and identify flavours.

As a result of a stroke, you may experience dysgeusia, where food and drink have a distorted taste, such as bitter or metallic. You may also experience hypogeusia, a reduced ability to taste, or ageusia, a total loss of taste. In addition, a stroke can cause phantogeusia, where you taste something even when you are not eating or drinking. On the smell side, you may experience anosmia, a partial or total loss of smell, or hyperosmia, where you become more sensitive to smells.

Changes to your senses of taste and smell can affect your appetite and eating habits. You may end up eating and drinking less than you need to, or you may overeat to try to get more satisfaction from food. This can impact your recovery and increase your risk of another stroke. It is important to seek help if you are experiencing changes to your senses of taste and smell after a stroke.

A stroke can cause appetite loss and depression, impeding recovery

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is cut off, killing brain cells. This can damage the parts of the brain that interpret information about taste and smell from the nose and tongue, causing changes to your senses of taste and smell.

Up to a third of people who have had a stroke find that their sense of taste or smell changes. Food might taste different or bad (dysgeusia), or you may be able to taste fewer flavours (hypogeusia) or none at all (ageusia). Some people lose their sense of smell (anosmia) or become more sensitive to smells (hyperosmia). These changes can reduce your appetite, and you might end up eating and drinking less than you need to. Or you might overeat to try to get more satisfaction from food, or crave sweet or salty foods. These issues can impede your recovery by stopping you from eating a balanced diet.

A stroke can also make it harder to move your muscles, make you more sensitive to pain, and affect your moods. Loss of appetite after a stroke can be caused by depression, which can also be brought on by the stroke. It is important to seek help from a doctor, who can prescribe an antidepressant or refer you to a therapist or counsellor for talk therapy.

Good oral hygiene may help restore your sense of taste after a stroke

After a stroke, up to a third of people experience changes in their sense of taste or smell. This is because a stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is cut off, killing brain cells. If the stroke impacts the parts of the brain that interpret information about taste and smell, it can cause changes to your senses of taste and smell. This can be upsetting, as enjoying food and drink is an important part of life, closely connected to our feelings and memories.

Good oral hygiene can help to restore your sense of taste after a stroke. Oral hygiene is a critical factor in maintaining the health of the mouth, teeth, and gums, and it is a core component of self-care and rehabilitation for stroke patients. Here are some tips for maintaining good oral hygiene to aid in the restoration of your sense of taste:

• Brush your teeth or clean your dentures after every meal, aiming for at least twice a day for about two minutes each time.
• Clean your mouth and tongue with a soft brush and toothpaste.
• If using mouthwash, avoid using it directly after brushing, as it can wash away the fluoride left on your teeth by toothpaste.
• Take out and clean your dentures overnight.
• Avoid sugary drinks and snacks, as they can damage your teeth. If you consume sweets, carefully brush your teeth afterward.
• If you are advised to eat sweet foods by a dietitian, or if you are taking food supplements, be sure to clean your teeth afterward or rinse your mouth with water.
• If you experience a dry mouth due to swallowing problems or medication, consult your healthcare provider for advice on keeping your mouth moist.
• Use lip balm to prevent your lips from becoming dry or cracked.
• Visit your dentist regularly for check-ups and cleanings.

In addition to good oral hygiene, there are other strategies that can help improve your sense of taste after a stroke:

• Make your food look bright and fresh to tempt your appetite. Add colour and crunch with vegetables like peas, carrots, and red peppers.
• Use herbs and spices to enhance the flavour of your food, but avoid adding extra salt or sugar.
• If you find tastes overpowering, try eating food at room temperature rather than hot, as this can reduce strong or sweet flavours.
• Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids like water, low-sugar drinks, tea, and coffee. Dilute sweet drinks with water, soda, or tonic.
• If you have swallowing problems, consult a speech and language therapist for advice before changing your diet.

It is important to remember that everyone's recovery is different, and the time it takes for your sense of taste to improve may vary. If you are concerned about changes in your sense of taste or smell after a stroke, be sure to consult your healthcare provider for advice and support.

Frequently asked questions