The Sweet Tooth

Senses are vital components of human beings that can affect their quality of life. One of the senses that we took a closer look at is the sense of taste. We have countless taste buds that decrease and become less active as we age. Food begins to lose its taste, and the elderly do not have a motivation to eat as much as they regularly did before. However, I discovered that many older people, especially people over 70 years old, have an excessive longing for sweets (“The Senior Sweet Tooth: Why Do So Many Seniors Crave Sweets?”). “Sweet” is the first taste bud humans are exposed to as newborns, so caregivers believe that the elderly’s excessive longing for sweets is plausible. In addition, “sweet” is the taste bud that the elderly have enjoyed for the longest time. I think this piece of information is intriguing, on account that I have witnessed elderly prefer sweets over other variety of foods. I have visited and interned at the nursing home from back home, and many times, patients and clients would want dessert or sugar with their meals. It is probable that their “sweet” taste bud is the one that is most active, but I am not sure if that is the case. Also, I am skeptical if the level of activity in the taste buds are affected by excessive exposure to foods that tap into those taste buds. In other words, as a 20 year-old who usually consumes sweets, would my “sweet” taste bud decrease, while the other taste buds I don’t use often would increase with age?

Hope you liked this food for thought!

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