Ask the expert

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Taste changes: what and why

Question

Why do some of the foods and drinks I usually like taste different?

Answer

Both the cancer itself and its treatments such as radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy can alter the way some foods and drinks taste. Taste changes can include a dislike for or an increased desire for meat and sweet foods, a dislike of foods with bitter tastes, tomatoes and tomato products, and a metallic or medicinal taste in the mouth. Some people also find that they go off of tea and coffee.

Foods and drinks can also have their taste enhanced so that they taste excessively sweet, bitter or salty. Also some people report that they cannot taste anything and that things taste bland or like cardboard. These taste changes occur because chemotherapy drugs and radiotherapy treatment can alter or completely destroy the taste receptor cells in the mouth that are responsible for flavour sensations.

Source: Nutrition in cancer Editorial Board