How Hearing Loss Can Affect Taste

Is the crunch of a sweet, crisp apple music to your ears? What about the slurp of perfectly al dente noodles from a bowl full of steaming broth? Humans have five senses – hearing, vision, taste, touch, and smell – which we rely on for so many things. But the distinction between the role of each sense in our perception and enjoyment of the world is not as clear cut as you might think. If you couldn’t hear that crunch of the apple when you take a bite, would it taste as sweet? And if there were no sound of a satisfying slurp as you sucked up a strand of noodle, would you enjoy the meal as much? Though hearing and taste may seem worlds apart, research has found that these two senses can in fact be intertwined.

Bitter, sweet, salty, sour: how does hearing affect taste? 

The interaction between two or more different senses in one experience is known as cross-modal perception. Studies have shown that hearing and taste are connected when it comes to the act of eating and drinking – people with hearing loss may taste their food differently, leading to a change in how they might enjoy their meals and perceive new foods.

One particular study investigated taste sensitivity and preferences in deaf individuals compared to people with full hearing. The study found:

• People with hearing loss were relatively less sensitive to all tastes. They had a higher “gustatory threshold,” meaning a higher concentration of a taste molecule was needed in order to be able to detect (taste) it
• People with hearing loss managed with a cochlear implant were significantly less sensitive to salty tastes compared to individuals without any cochlear implants or hearing aids
• People using hearing aids were significantly less sensitive to sweet flavors compared to those with full hearing
• People with hearing loss reported increased distaste for bitter, salty, and sour flavors compared to those with normal hearing, but there was no difference in likeability of sweet tastes between the groups

In short, people with hearing loss had lower taste sensitivity, and also were more likely to find bitter, salty, and sour tastes unpleasant. One potential consequence of this link is that individuals with hearing loss may be less welcoming of new foods and culinary experiences. In the extreme, this can lead to an increased risk of malnutrition and other complications arising from a poor diet.

How do we explain the association between hearing loss and taste?

The association between hearing and taste is not fully understood, but a few theories have been put forth:

1. One relates to the science of neurogastronomy, which is the scientific field devoted to the brain’s perception of food through our five senses. In essence, there is potentially a neural pathway in the brain influencing the perception of food through the sense of hearing.
2. Another hypothesis is a little less intriguing – basically that there is a placebo effect from the sounds you are able to hear, which influences your perception and interpretation of the foods you’re tasting at the time.
3. Hearing loss is also associated with other effects that may affect your food choices. For example, hearing loss is known to increase the risk of depression and social withdrawal. Since eating is often a social activity, being unable to enjoy and participate in the conversation around you may have an impact on how you perceive and enjoy your meal, too.

If you have hearing loss, is there anything you can do to restore or preserve your sense of taste?

At the moment, there isn’t enough evidence to demonstrate that improving hearing loss with cochlear implants or hearing aids has any effect on improving or normalizing your sense of taste (one issue being what is a “normal” sense of taste, anyway?).

The aforementioned study found that hearing impaired study participants with either cochlear implants or hearing aids didn’t perform significantly better in taste tests compared to participants with untreated hearing loss. In fact, people with a cochlear implant were less sensitive to salty tastes compared to those without any hearing device. All participants with hearing loss, whether treated or untreated, demonstrated decreased taste sensitivity compared to people with full hearing.

However, seeing as hearing rehabilitation with cochlear implants or hearing aids comes with other benefits, albeit not gustatory ones, keeping in touch with your audiologist is not an exercise in futility. The advantages of being fitted with the right hearing aid or having a cochlear implant include:

• Reducing the risk of dementia
• Reducing the risk of falls and injury
• Reducing the risk of depression
• Improving your ability to participate in social activities, including simple conversation
• Improving your heart health

Alterations to your sense of taste are not likely to be the first noticeable indication you need your hearing checked. Check out this blog of 10 signs you might need hearing aids to see whether it’s time to visit an audiologist.