Taste changes are also a common side effect of some cancer treatments. For instance, chemotherapy, which is designed to destroy rapidly-dividing cancer cells, can also damage normal cells that divide rapidly, such as those in the mouth. The spread of chemotherapy drugs in tissues of the mouth and/or damage to taste receptors can also cause taste changes. In addition, the association of chemotherapy with nausea and vomiting may cause a loss of taste.

Radiation therapy can also cause taste changes. Radiation, particularly to the head and neck, can damage tissues that are rapidly multiplying, like taste buds. Radiation can also damage the salivary glands, resulting in dry mouth. Since saliva mixes with food and helps to stimulate the taste buds, when there is less of it, food does not come into contact with the taste buds as easily.

Other causes of taste changes include surgery to the nose, throat or mouth, as well as biological therapies, such as interleukin and interferon. Taste changes can also result from dental problems, oral infections, mucositis, dry mouth, or damage to the nerves involved in tasting. In addition, some medications, such as antibiotics, can also cause taste changes.

How Long Do Taste Changes Last?

Some taste changes are temporary, while others may take months or even years to return to normal. How long taste changes last is different for each individual and depends on many factors, such as your cancer treatment regime.

For example, taste changes caused by chemotherapy usually begin a week after starting chemotherapy and last until about three to four weeks after the end of treatment. Taste changes caused by radiation treatment can begin several weeks after the first session and begin to improve from three weeks to two months after completion of treatment. However, sometimes your sense of taste may not return to the way it was before treatment, especially if you receive radiation therapy directly to the mouth.

Why Is It Important to Address Taste Changes?

While it may seem like a minor side effect of cancer treatment, taste changes can significantly impact your nutritional well being and quality of life. For instance, taste changes can affect your ability to enjoy food, which can lead to loss of appetite, food aversions, vitamin deficiency, weight loss, and malnutrition. Being able to maintain good nutrition during cancer treatment can help support immune function, rebuild body tissue, decrease your risk of infection, improve your strength and energy, and help you better tolerate treatment.

In addition to the physical impact, changes in sense of taste can also cause emotional distress and sometimes even lead to depression. Therefore, while there may be little that can be done to prevent taste changes, it is important to manage these changes when they occur. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to meet your nutritional needs and reduce the impact of taste changes on your quality of life.

NOTE: THIS INFORMATION IS NOT INTENDED NOR IMPLIED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS REPORT ANY CHANGES IN TASTE AND SMELL TO YOUR PHYSICIAN IMMEDIATELY.

Tips for Managing Taste Changes During Cancer Care

• Keep your doctor informed. Your body needs nutrition, especially when undergoing rigorous cancer treatment. If you find that changes in taste and smell are limiting your food intake or causing significant weight loss, be sure to let your doctor know. Your health care team can recommend ways to increase your calorie intake, such as through vitamin and mineral supplementation and protein shakes.
  
• Practice good oral hygiene. Cancer treatments like chemotherapy can disrupt the bacteria balance in the mouth and irritate the taste buds. Keeping your mouth clean and healthy helps food taste better. Gently brush your teeth, gums and tongue with a soft bristled toothbrush in the morning, before and after meals, and before bedtime. Choose a mild-tasting, non-abrasive toothpaste with fluoride.
• Rinse your mouth frequently. Rinsing can help prevent infections, improve the healing of mouth sores, and neutralize bad tastes in the mouth. Try rinsing with a mild solution of water, baking soda and salt before meals. If this works temporarily, repeat the rinse halfway through a meal.
• Visit your dentist. Dental problems, oral infections, and dry mouth can affect the taste of food. Your dentist can check the health of your mouth and help you understand the oral side effects of cancer treatment. Your dentist can also provide rinses to fight infection in the mouth and medication to increase saliva production.
• Chew sugar-free gum or mints. If you have a bad taste in your mouth, try sugar-free mints, gum, hard candies, lemon drops, etc. This can also help control a bitter or metallic taste in the mouth and help relieve mouth dryness by stimulating saliva. Tea, ginger ale, and sports drinks may also rid the mouth of bad tastes.
• Eat small, frequent meals. Instead of three large meals a day, try to eat small, frequent meals six to eight times per day. To add calories and nutrients in between meals, eat healthy snacks throughout the day. Drink eight glasses of liquids daily to keep your body well hydrated. Avoid cigarette smoking, which can make taste changes worse.
• Experiment with different foods. Eating can become more enjoyable when you are open to trying new foods. Choose and prepare foods that smell and taste good to you, even if the food is unfamiliar. Also, since your taste buds may change from day to day, keep a variety of foods on hand. If foods taste metallic, use plastic utensils and glass cookware and drink beverages from bottles, not cans.
• Eat foods at the right temperature. Cold or chilled foods may taste better than warm or hot foods. Also, cold or room-temperature foods also have less of an aroma. If you do eat warm foods, try to eliminate bad cooking odors that can trigger nausea by using an exhaust fan, cooking on an outdoor grill, or buying precooked foods.
• Add seasoning/spices to food. To improve the taste of the food, flavor foods with seasonings, herbs and spices (e.g., sugar, lemon, mint, dill, basil, oregano, chili powder, rosemary, garlic, ginger, salt, cinnamon). Try marinating meat, poultry or fish in fruit juices, sweet wines, salad dressing, vinegars, sauces, and gravies.
• Choose your foods wisely. Since taste changes can limit your food intake, when you do eat, make sure you choose healthy foods that are high in protein and calories. Also, avoid eating your favorite foods during chemotherapy to prevent the possibility of learned food aversions. The following are additional suggestions:
• If foods taste bitter or metallic, try sweeter-tasting foods or use sugar/sugar substitutes. Cook meats like beef and pork in a sweet or sour sauce, citrus fruit juice, or vinegar. You can also substitute red meat (which is prone to tasting metallic) for other protein-rich foods like chicken, eggs, fish, peanut butter, nuts, beans, or dairy products. Also, try eating tart foods, such as citrus fruits or lemonade (unless you have mouth sores).
• If foods taste overly sweet, try adding some salt to the food or dilute it with water. If everything tastes sweet, try more acidic foods.
• If foods taste too salty, try a variety of low-salt or sodium-reduced products. To mask the salty flavor, try adding sugar to foods like soups, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad dressings, and casseroles.
• If foods taste strong, try mild-tasting foods, such as plain crackers, toast, dry cereals, mashed potatoes, milk, steamed rice, plain yogurt, plain noodles and butter, custard, pudding, cottage cheese, sherbet, and gelatin.
• If foods taste bland, try alternate bites of different tasting foods within a meal, such as cottage cheese and pineapple, canned fruit and plain yogurt, or grilled cheese and tomato juice. Sour-tasting foods can also stimulate your taste buds and saliva flow, and salt can perk up foods that are difficult to taste.
• Make mealtime an enjoyable experience. Eat in a comfortable, relaxed environment and avoid the sight and smell of foods that cause unpleasantness. To keep mealtime interesting, vary the time, place, and surroundings. You may find that you eat more when you are socializing, so invite friends or family members to join you. To distract yourself, you could also listen to your favorite music or television show while you eat.
• Consult with a dietitian. A dietitian can help you make changes in food choice and preparations to minimize the impact of taste changes and help you meet your calorie and protein needs. Your dietitian may recommend appetite stimulants or vitamins and supplements, such as zinc sulfate. If you can’t eat solid foods, your dietitian may recommend liquid or powdered meal replacements and shakes.
  

NOTE: THIS INFORMATION IS NOT INTENDED NOR IMPLIED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN OR OTHER QUALIFIED HEALTHCARE PROVIDER REGARDING TASTE CHANGES.

At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), we understand your sense of taste may change during cancer treatment, sometimes from day to day. These changes can interfere with your ability to maintain a healthy, well-balanced diet and enjoy a good quality of life.

At CTCA, you will receive care from a team of cancer experts across multiple disciplines, including a registered dietitian. As you undergo advanced conventional treatments to fight cancer, your dietitian will proactively manage your symptoms. If you experience taste changes at any time during the course of your treatment, you and your dietitian will work together to find foods that appeal to you and that your body can tolerate.

Your dietitian also works directly with the hospital’s culinary team to create menus and recipes for you, including healthful, specially-prepared meals to suit your culinary desires and selective tastes. The culinary team prepares every meal from scratch, using the finest ingredients to provide a wide variety of fresh, whole food choices. They will make every effort to accommodate your changing food preferences and special requests.

In addition to nutrition therapy, you will also receive various other complementary medicine therapies throughout your treatment at CTCA. Supportive therapies like naturopathic medicine, pain management, oncology rehabilitation, mind-body medicine, and spiritual support aim to reduce treatment-related side effects and promote a sense of well being.

Cancer can be overwhelming, particularly if you experience side effects like taste changes at the same time. At CTCA, we are here to support you as a whole person—body, mind and spirit—so you can move beyond cancer and find a new beginning.

I hope this information has helped you in some way. I will check in with you again next month. In the meantime, stay strong and hopeful.