Has Covid robbed you of your taste or smell? It could mean you have strong immunity

It’s one of the most distinctive and strange symptoms of Covid: the loss of smell, which afflicts more than half of those affected.

Among the many things the virus attacks are the receptor cells in the nose, affecting their ability to function properly.

While most people recover within a few weeks, the problem called anosmia persists for a month or more in about one in ten.

Now scientists have stumbled upon a potential treatment to reawaken the senses: vitamin A.

Vitamin drops to wake up sleeping cells

There is already some compelling evidence that vitamin A nasal drops could be the anosmia treatment patients are desperate for.

In April last year, a group of German doctors at the University of Dresden conducted a study similar to Britain’s proposed one, testing the drops in a group of patients over eight weeks.

Half received the drops along with “smell training,” which involves sniffing strong scents like rose and coffee daily to stimulate nerve cells in the nose.

The other half received only smell training and no drops.

After eight weeks, 37 percent of users of the drops reported a significant improvement in odor perception, compared to 23 percent of the control group.

One substance in the vitamin – retinoic acid – is known to repair damaged DNA in cells, which may explain its effects.

Take a good sniff of some strong smells

Physicians have long debated the effectiveness of smell training in restoring the senses. Some studies show it to be effective, while others have shown limited benefits.

However, Prof Philpott says research carried out by his team at the University of East Anglia suggests it may be worth trying.

A study of 140 anosmia patients found that sniffing at least four smells — including lemon, rose, and eucalyptus — twice a day for a period of two months significantly improved the subjects’ sense of smell.

Prof Philpott suggests buying rehab kits online or using strong-smelling spices or other pungent ingredients found in most kitchen cupboards.

Smother everything in tomato sauce

Perhaps the worst element of losing the ability to smell is the associated loss of taste.

Prof Smith says his patients also report a variety of strange sensations – from different foods that all taste the same to phantom tastes like rotting garbage.

Experts say this is mainly due to the virus’s effect on the nasal cells.

“While some may be able to discern sweet or salty, there is a depth of flavor when we inhale the scents of food as we eat,” says Prof Philpott.

“When the smell goes away, everything tastes strange or tasteless.”

But there’s one core flavor that shines through particularly well: the meaty, savory note called umami.