Zinc, an essential nutrient for the sense of smell
Neil Goffart
Neil Goffart
Is there anything more frustrating than having your favourite dish right in front of you and smelling absolutely nothing! No more pleasure from comforting home cooking, no more indulgent coffee breaks with their faithful square of chocolate… Loss of smell can become a real problem. Discover the positive effects of zinc in cell division.
There are 2 possible scenarios: total or partial loss of smell.
Total loss of smell may be present from birth or acquired later on. Those affected find it difficult to identify a food or even a fragrance.
Partial loss of smell is the most common form, affecting close to 10% of the world's population, though to widely varying degrees, from mild olfactory discomfort to only being able to detect very strong odours.
While the problem most often appears with age, its occurrence has risen since 2020 and recent events.
There are three possible reasons why we no longer perceive odours:
"Normal" loss of smell originates in the ageing of the body and of our system: our olfactory cells tend to deteriorate gradually, which reduces our recognition of odours. The nutritional deficiency often seen in older people[1] prevents cell renewal. But the causes of a total loss of smell can be many: infection, injury, genetic disorder and so on.
Some people have an overgrowth of the mucous membrane, known as nasal polyposis. Surgery may then be required to clear the nasal passages and restore the sense of smell, even partially.
Where a total loss of smell is present from birth, however, there is little chance of it being repaired. That genetic mutation, present from birth, prevents the development of the nerve cells responsible for smell.
A total and irreversible loss of smell is also seen in:
Losing your sense of smell may seem trivial, yet it brings its own share of negative consequences.
In the long term, a total loss of smell can lead to a total loss of taste, as the two are closely linked. Without smell, a person has to rely on taste alone to identify flavours. They will most likely lose interest in food, or even develop an aversion to it, to the point of no longer eating.
Another consequence: memory starts to falter. The way our brain builds memories draws on all five senses. Remove the use of one of them and memorisation is automatically weakened. You have no doubt experienced a memory coming back to you through nothing more than a familiar smell. The senses act as anchor points that help feed our memory. People without a sense of smell sadly cannot, or can only with great difficulty, draw on those associations, and have to make an extra effort to remember.
Finally, we should not forget that our senses exist first and foremost to guide us: to see, to hear, to smell danger. Without smell, it becomes harder to detect a gas leak or a food that has gone off. People who have completely lost their sense of smell are therefore more exposed to fires, whose burning smell they cannot detect, and to food poisoning.
Our five senses are essential to us and we feel somewhat lost when one of them is missing. Is a total loss of smell reversible? It all depends on the degree of that loss. The olfactory epithelium does, however, have the advantage of being able to renew itself regularly, roughly every three months. So what should you do to stimulate your sense of smell?
Certain trace elements and vitamins are involved in cell division, and therefore in the development of cells.
The mineral zinc has a role in the process of cell division and contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
Your daily zinc needs are covered by liver, cocoa or parsley, but in the event of a zinc deficiency, consider topping up with food supplements.
Vitamin B12 produces the active forms of folate needed for DNA synthesis. A vitamin B12 deficiency in vegans may disrupt taste and smell.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Some scientific data point to a link between zinc status and olfactory function, but knowledge in this area remains limited. Older work described smell disorders in some people with a zinc deficiency, while experimental studies are exploring the role of zinc in the olfactory system. These observations do not, however, make it possible to state that additional zinc intake improves the sense of smell in someone whose nutritional status is already adequate.
A zinc deficiency may be associated with reduced olfactory sensitivity, but it is only one possible cause among many others. Respiratory infections, chronic rhinosinusitis, nasal polyps, certain head injuries, ageing or certain neurological conditions can also impair the sense of smell. Anosmia or hyposmia therefore does not automatically point to a zinc deficiency, and warrants investigation of its cause when it persists.
The available data do not support systematically recommending zinc supplementation in order to recover the sense of smell. A review of treatments for post-viral olfactory disorders identified no convincing benefit from zinc sulphate. A more recent study in 42 patients with both an olfactory disorder and a biological zinc deficiency observed better results once zinc levels normalised, but several treatments were given at the same time: it therefore does not demonstrate the effectiveness of zinc on its own.
Anosmia is the complete or near-complete loss of the ability to perceive odours, whereas hyposmia refers to a reduction in that ability. Parosmia is different: odours are still perceived, but in a distorted and sometimes unpleasant way. These disorders can have varied causes, and telling them apart matters when directing the assessment. Standardised smell tests, such as Sniffin’ Sticks, can be used by professionals to objectively measure olfactory function.
No. Losing your sense of smell does not generally make the basic taste sensations such as sweet, salty, sour, bitter or umami disappear. Retronasal olfaction, on the other hand, contributes a great deal to the overall perception of aromas while eating. Someone with anosmia may therefore feel that food "no longer has any taste", when in fact it is mainly its aromatic richness that is reduced. This distinction between taste and smell matters when assessing sensory disorders.
Smell training is currently one of the best-documented strategies for certain persistent post-infectious olfactory disorders. It involves regularly smelling a set of defined odours over several weeks or months. A meta-analysis observed a higher likelihood of clinically significant improvement in patients following this training, and several expert groups recommend it for post-infectious olfactory disorders. Management must nonetheless be tailored to the cause of the disorder.
Zinc Forte must not be presented as a treatment for anosmia or as a product intended to restore the sense of smell. One capsule provides 22.5 mg of elemental zinc, 150 mg of L-cysteine and 6 mg of vitamin B6. Zinc carries several authorised European claims: it contributes to the normal function of the immune system, contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress and has a role in the process of cell division. No authorised claim, however, relates directly to the sense of smell.
[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12425708/
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15064632/
[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9443714/
[4] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32253535/
[5] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34566843/
[6] https://www.uea.ac.uk/news/-/article/could-vitamin-a-bring-back-your-sense-of-smell-after-covid-
[7] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12439184/
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