Why can't we Smell or Taste with a Cold? + more videos |

Buy AumSum Merchandise: bit.ly/3srNDiG
Website: www.aumsum.com
Our nose has specialized olfactory receptors covered in a thin layer of mucus. In normal conditions, the odorants released from food or perfume diffuse through the mucus and get transported to the receptors, activating them, and thus allowing us to smell. However, when we have a cold, our nose produces excess mucus. Hence, the odorants are unable to reach the receptors, thus making it difficult to smell.
But, why can’t we even taste?
When we chew food, specialized gustatory receptors on our tongue tell us whether the food is sweet or salty. However, at the same time, odorants from food travel from back of our mouth to the olfactory receptors. The combination of information from gustatory and olfactory receptors give us the sense of overall flavor. However, when we have a cold, as the olfactory receptors cannot detect the odors, we don’t get a complete sense of taste and flavor.