Question

Why is it that a person suffering from a severe cold does not get any taste?

• A. The taste buds get blocked.
• B. Blockage in the nasal cavity hampers the sense of smell.
• C. Salivary amylase becomes dysfunctional.
• D. None of these.

Answer 1

The correct option is B Blockage in the nasal cavity hampers the sense of smell.

While the tongue has thousands of taste buds to measure the four primary tastes - salty, sour, sweet, and bitter - the olfactory receptor cells at the top of the nasal cavity measure the odors that provide you with the sumptuous (or not-so-sumptuous) flavors associated with certain foods. The sense of smell is actually responsible for much of what is typically thought of as the sense of taste. So, if your nasal passage is blocked by mucus that keeps you sniffling and sneezing, your olfactory receptor cells aren't being visited by those odors. This leaves everything tasting pretty much the same.