Does taste get worse after 40?

As you age, your favorite foods may not be so loved. And over the years, the perception of tastes changes, a loss of taste occurs and the preference for salty foods increases. But why is all this happening?

We contacted Elena Pérez Montero, nutritionist at the Ruber Juan Bravo and Quironsalud University Hospitals of Madrid, who explains to us why food tastes change and how to avoid overusing salt in recipes for people over 60.

Is it true that taste changes with age?

Yes, perceptions of certain tastes change over the years. which makes us change the food we choose or the way we season it. For this reason, we often say that from a certain point in life we ​​crave dishes or flavors that were not previously part of our tastes.

Specifically, Starting at age 40, the sense of taste decreases, and by age 60 it worsens.. Sweet and salty flavors are usually the first to be lost..

Causes of loss of taste

On the one side, The membranes covering the cilia of the taste buds are gradually lost., which send information to the brain. Also cell regeneration slows down. And, changes in language orography They make it difficult to perceive tastes because there are fewer taste buds.

It should be added that there are other factors that contribute to loss of taste and are associated with aging; For example less saliva is producednecessary for assessing taste, and reduces the perception of odors. This affects men more than women.

We prefer the sweet taste of young people to old people.

The tongue’s taste buds are what make us choose or reduce certain foods based on their taste: sweet, salty, sour and bitter, as well as a fifth of umami.

In most investigations It has been observed that at younger ages there is a preference for sweet tastes.and this gradually changes with age as you choose salty flavors.

How to consume less salt without losing the taste of your dishes

To prevent this deterioration in taste from leading to the use of more salt in recipes, we can follow these guidelines:

1. Monitor the temperature of the dishes. Keep in mind that very hot or cold foods impair the perception of flavors, which may result in extra flavor.
2. Use less salt. To do this, try to enhance the flavor of your dishes by using traditional spices such as pepper, paprika, thyme, rosemary, anise or cinnamon.
3. Try marinades. Give your food more flavor by leaving it surrounded by ingredients for a while.
4. Prepare new dishes. The taste buds get stuck and don’t perceive nuances when you always repeat the same dishes.
5. Imitate the dishes of your childhood. Prepare recipes that bring back memories of celebrations or special moments by incorporating small changes that will surprise you.
6. Adds color to dishes. Incorporating texture, color, and other ingredients into your dishes can help stimulate taste curiosity, making taste buds and memories more engaged with taste.