Varied Effects of COVID-19 Chemosensory Loss and Distortion on Appetite: Implications for Understanding Motives for Eating and Drinking

Turner, L. R.; Rogers, Peter J.

doi:10.3390/foods11040607

Cited by 12 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…In our study, a lower proportion than the COVID-19 sample, 33% of the healthy sample, reported having skipped meals. These results are consistent with previous studies [ 35 , 36 ] indicating that COVID-19 infection is associated with a change in eating habits, which could also be related to emotional aspects such as anxiety [ 37 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Food Intake Changes and Their Impact on Quality of Life in Spanish Citizens with and without COVID-19 during Lockdown

et al. 2022

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The pervasive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is just beginning to be analyzed. To date, only a handful of these studies have investigated the relationship between an individual’s quality of life (QoL) and their changes in food intake due to the virus (from the associated symptomatology of diagnosis to the universal impact of lockdown on individual lives, regardless of a person’s health status). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify changes in food intake resulting from the pandemic and the corresponding impact on QoL in the Spanish population. This study focuses its investigation on the 3-month time period within which lockdown was its most restrictive, March–May 2020. Survey questions ask participants to compare their eating habits, general health status, and QoL during these 3 months to times prior to the pandemic. We conducted an online survey amongst the Spanish population over 18 years old. Three surveys were administered: (1) the adult eating behavior questionnaire (EABQ), (2) EuroQoL-5D-5L, and (3) The determinants lifestyle changes during lockdown period (March to May 2020). A total of 86 participants were included, with a mean age of 34 years. In the analysis of QoL, significant differences were found according to age, sex, and the presence of a COVID-19 diagnosis. Likewise, in the analysis of food intake, significant differences were found by age (greater changes in the 18–29-years-old population) (p< 0.01) and by sex (women p < 0.03), as well as greater changes in those with a diagnosis of COVID-19. Furthermore, both food intake and COVID-19 diagnosis were variables that predicted QoL outcomes. In sum, forced home lockdown can cause changes in food intake, which can predict a lower QoL. It follows that the lockdown situation caused by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has affected the food intake and overall QoL of the Spanish population.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Food Intake Changes and Their Impact on Quality of Life in Spanish Citizens with and without COVID-19 during Lockdown

et al. 2022

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“…In a more recent study, twenty subjects (eighteen women and two men) who experienced chemosensory loss associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection underwent a semi-structured interview, which consisted of several open questions focused on five major themes concerning the nature of altered chemosensory perception and consequent changes in appetite, experiences of eating, eating behaviour, and well-being [ 53 ]. The study results were not quantitative but qualitative.…”

Section: Variations In Eating Habits and Body Weight Due To Covid-19-...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The “wanting” component of food reward, related to the post-ingestion detection of nutrients during the meal, was unchanged (the participants referred to this as “mindless eating”) and accounted for a bidirectional trend in body weight change by inducing both the loss and increase of weight (only six participants reported weight loss). An increase in alcohol intake was mentioned by some participants, in part due to the reduced intensity of the perception of alcohol’s disliked flavour [ 53 ]. The generalisability of the study’s findings was limited due to the low number of participants involved.…”

Section: Variations In Eating Habits and Body Weight Due To Covid-19-...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For some participants, flavour loss shifted preferences towards increasing food intake as it “takes more to hit the spot” and, therefore, in weight gain [ 52 ]. In another qualitative study, including 20 participants who experienced chemosensory loss associated with COVID-19, only six participants reported weight loss [ 53 ]. However, they were among the first studies on this topic, based on self-reported experiences by the participants, and no statistical analysis of data was performed.…”

Section: Variations In Eating Habits and Body Weight Due To Covid-19-...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Eating Habits and Body Weight Changes Induced by Variation in Smell and Taste in Patients with Previous SARS-CoV-2 Infection

et al. 2022

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Olfactory and gustatory dysfunction are recognized as common symptoms in patients with COVID-19, with a prevalence ranging, respectively, between 41–61% and 38.2–49%. This review focused on relating the variations in dietary habits with the reduction/loss of smell and/or taste in patients who contracted the COVID-19 infection. Primarily, we reviewed the main pathological mechanisms involved in COVID 19-induced anosmia/dysosmia and ageusia/dysgeusia. Then, we explored and summarized the behavioural changes in food intake and body weight during the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to sensory impairment and the underlying mechanisms. Most studies on this topic argue that the altered chemosensory perception (taste and smell) mainly induces reduced appetite, leading to a faster fullness sensation during the consumption of a meal and, therefore, to a decrease in body weight. On the other hand, a reduced perception of the food’s sensory properties may trigger compensatory responses that lead some individuals to increase food intake with a different effect on body weight. Regarding body weight, most studies evaluated malnutrition in patients hospitalized for COVID-19; more studies are warranted to investigate nutritional status specifically in non-hospitalized patients with olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions caused by COVID-19 infection.

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“…Accordingly, crunchy solid foods (ie, grains, cereals, hard vegetables, and crispy snacks) may be beneficial for COVID-19/PASC patients 42 . Furthermore, different food textures combined with strong flavors (ie, pepper, wasabi, ginger) and spices (ie, cinnamon, vanilla, chili) could provide additional organoleptic attributes for increasing gastronomic pleasure 37,55 …”

Section: Management Of Csd In Covid-19/pascmentioning

confidence: 99%

No Smell, No Taste—Dealing With a “Senseless” Phase of the Pandemic

Naidu

Clemens

2022

Nutr Today

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The SARS-CoV-2 infection alters smell and taste sensations in many patients. These 2 neurosensory impairments, namely, (1) the loss of smell, an olfactory dysfunction (OD) or anosmia, and (2) the loss of taste, a gustatory dysfunction (GD) or ageusia, are often the earliest and, sometimes, the only signs in otherwise asymptomatic individuals. Both OD and GD are recognized by the international scientific community as one of the critical symptoms of COVID-19. The prevalence of COVID-19–related OD is higher among women (although less likely to experience severe forms of SARS-CoV-2 infection) than men. The total loss of taste sense or GD is more common among the elderly COVID-19 patients than in the younger population. In “long” COVID or postacute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) patients, OD/GD could persist for months to years, depending on the extent of damage caused by the SARS-CoV-2 infection to the olfactory and gustatory systems. Olfactory dysfunction and GD manifestations may severely disrupt quality of life, which includes altered eating habits, loss of appetite, weight change, and loss of pleasure in food consumption, and may further affect psychological well-being, social bonding, altered intimacy, and relationship to self and others. The hedonic value of diet relies exclusively on its flavor; however, the onset of OD/GD during SARS-CoV-2 infection deprives such organoleptic experiences of nutrition. To compensate for these OD/GD issues, the chemosensory focus of COVID-19/PASC patients during dietary consumption may shift toward food texture (to stimulate trigeminal nerves) and food colors (to stimulate brain activity), to sustain appetite as well as enhance the pleasure of eating. Olfactory training with repeated exposure to 4 intense odors twice daily has been a traditional rehabilitation practice to alleviate olfactory impairments in COVID-19. The neurosensory impairments in COVID-19 pathobiology culminate from iron-redox dysregulation, viral-induced host metabolic reprogramming, and host mitochondrial dysfunction. Therefore, nutritional restoration of host metabolic reprogramming and mitochondrial function could provide an effective strategy to reverse iron-redox dysregulation syndrome and combat OD/GD in COVID-19 and PASC patients. Innate regulators of iron-redox homeostasis, such as lactoferrin, heme oxygenase-1, erythropoietin, and hepcidin modulators, could serve as potential interventions for OD/GD recovery.

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Varied Effects of COVID-19 Chemosensory Loss and Distortion on Appetite: Implications for Understanding Motives for Eating and Drinking

Cited by 12 publications

References 47 publications

Food Intake Changes and Their Impact on Quality of Life in Spanish Citizens with and without COVID-19 during Lockdown

Food Intake Changes and Their Impact on Quality of Life in Spanish Citizens with and without COVID-19 during Lockdown

Eating Habits and Body Weight Changes Induced by Variation in Smell and Taste in Patients with Previous SARS-CoV-2 Infection

No Smell, No Taste—Dealing With a “Senseless” Phase of the Pandemic

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