When food smells disgusting
Onions, meat and eggs smelled disgusting to several of the interviewees with parosmia (smell distortion). Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt
All of a sudden, your usual food has an indefinable burnt smell or a stench that in some cases resembles faeces. This is the reality for some of the patients affected by smell distortion after contracting COVID-19. “Experiencing this for a week is manageable, but some of the people we interviewed are now in their third year,” says Nicklas Neuman, one of the researchers behind the study.
During the first wave of COVID-19, many people suffered from loss of smell and taste. Some time later, there was also talk that these senses could be altered. This condition is known as parosmia, which leads to smells becoming distorted.
“Suddenly you arrive at the home of a colleague who’s invited you for lunch and are met with a stench you’ve never experienced before, and so you wonder: what is this? What are we actually going to be eating?” says Neuman, Senior Lecturer in Nutritional Sciences at Uppsala University.
The description of the lunch scenario above is taken from a study conducted by Neuman and two colleagues, in which they interviewed patients seeking treatment at a specialist clinic for smell and taste problems. There were 30 participants in the study who had either lost their sense of smell or had it distorted. It is mainly the latter condition that we will focus on here.
“By far the most obvious suffering is linked to parosmia. They find that things smell disgusting, have difficulty walking past perfume shops, have problems on public transport, can be bothered by the smell of their children or partners or have difficulty being in the kitchen when cooking.”
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“COVID-19 affects men more severely, but for these particular symptoms, the prognosis seems to be worse for women for reasons that are unclear. Of the 30 we interviewed, 25 were women,” says Mr Neuman.
Specific COVID smell linked to parosmia
The level of suffering and problems differed between interviewees. The same was true for the foods they considered ‘safe’. However, most people were able to tolerate mild foods such as rice, potatoes and yoghurt. They had even more problems with onions, meat, coffee and eggs.
“A burnt odour is one description that comes up – a very specific COVID smell that is difficult to explain. And in some cases they have found that food smells like faeces. For example, one person told us that she opened a can of tuna and almost threw up because she thought it smelled like faeces.”
As it is a relatively new disease, there is no established treatment. Some had received support from dieticians with varying results. One person who was prescribed nutritional drinks had difficulty drinking them because she thought they tasted disgusting. People with parosmia may have difficulty with synthetic smells and flavours.
“One person said that brushing their teeth was disgusting, showering was disgusting and drying yourself was disgusting because the towel smells horrible. Experiencing this for a week is manageable, but some of the people we interviewed are now in their third year.”
However, the prognosis is favourable. The vast majority eventually become symptom-free. However, there remains a small group who do not know if, or when, they will regain their normal sense of smell and taste.
Social life impacted
Neuman’s approach to the project mainly involves investigating how the change in eating behaviour affects the patients’ social life, such as meal situations and social relationships. Several interviewees with parosmia say they are reluctant to go to a restaurant or to eat in the lunchroom with their colleagues. Those who have no sense of smell or taste can eat without being disgusted, but are unable to enjoy or participate in conversations about how the food or wine tastes.
“When you cannot participate in the meal normally, you also become very isolated and excluded from the social community. It’s easy to think you can simply do other things when socialising, but food is actually very central to our lives.”
Facts: The tasteless meal
The interview study is part of the research project “The tasteless meal”. The aim is to gain a better understanding of patients’ experiences of living with sensory disorders after COVID-19 in relation to food and eating. Nicklas Neuman is collaborating on the project with Pernilla Sandvik, a sensory specialist, and Elin Lövestam, a dietician.