A new study is using chewing gum with specially formulated flavours to help people regain their lost sense of smell and/or taste, and participants are needed to help with the research.
Food Flavour scientists from the University of Nottingham are undertaking the Flavour Impairment Training (FIT) project to investigate how regular exposure to certain flavours might improve people's ability to perceive smell and taste. Researchers are looking for people who have experienced loss or change to some or all of their sense of taste or smell.
Loss of taste (Ageusia) or smell (Anosmia) are common side effects of Covid-19, and for many people these effects are permanent. There are other virus infections, as well as head trauma, or Parkinson's disease, which could potentially trigger changed senses of smell and/or taste. It is estimated that over 20 million people are affected and it is predicted that 1 in 6 people aged 65+ will be affected by 2050*. Reduced sensory input can lead to malnutrition, weight loss, food poisoning, depression, and other issues.
'Smell training' is a term used to describe regular, mindful smelling. Previous research has suggested that this can be beneficial to some people who have experienced olfactory dysfunction. Information on this often recommends that people use essential oils, such as lemon, rose, eucalyptus and clove, on a daily basis over 3 months of training.
The research team at the University of Nottingham aims to expand on this approach in this new study to help recover smell and taste perception. They propose the novel use of chewing gum as an ideal tool to deliver flavour training beyond the traditional Olfactory training.
Working with Tastetech Ltd, a set of chewing gums has been designed to stimulate the smell, taste and sensation of cooling, heat and spice (trigeminal) over time. The team would like to evaluate its potential use as a training tool to aid the recovery of altered flavour perceptions. With support from Fifth Sense, the UK charity for people affected by smell and taste disorders, they hope to recruit over 90 participants.
The study is being led by Dr Ni Yang (Nicole) from the University of Nottingham.
We know that chewing traditional mint flavoured gum creates sensations of sweet taste, minty aroma and cooling (trigeminal). The stimulation of multi-sensations can theoretically enhance overall flavour perception. We are building on this with our research to introduce some tailor-made chewing gums with long-lasting flavours, and we hope they will be effective training tools in helping retrain the sense of smell and taste.
I hope through this project we can alleviate the pain of suffering and the fear of being affected. We have carried out foundation research to develop specially formulated chewing gums that stimulate olfaction, gustation and trigeminal sensations. Now we are ready to compare their effectiveness with the olfactory training.
The team is looking to recruit people aged 18-65 who have impaired flavour perception and have had it for between 3 months and 2 years. Participants will be asked to chew the gum provided twice daily for 2 mins over a period of 3 months – once in the morning and once in the evening.
If you are interested in participating, please sign up via the link below:
https://forms.office.com/e/gRbsy1iFkQ
