Wake up and smell the burning garbage?The secret of olfactory dysfunction was found

overview: Studies reveal the mechanism behind why the scent of certain foods and drinks smells bad for people with parosmia.

Source: University of Reading

For people with parosmia, or a sense of distorted odor, the aroma of freshly ground coffee can be as unpleasant as burning garbage.

Now, researchers have discovered the secret of why certain foods and drinks smell (and probably taste) unpleasant to people with parosmia.

In a new study published in Communication medicine, A team of scientists have discovered that certain very strong odor molecules in coffee cause the disgust associated with parosmia. Take 2-furanmethanethiol, the most powerful aroma molecule you’ve ever heard. It is one of those molecules that has driven people to their wit end.

By trapping the aroma of coffee, the team was able to test the coffee compounds in volunteers with parosmia and compare their response to volunteers without parosmia.

From about 100 aromatic compounds in coffee, people with parosmia can point out who is causing disgust. Of the 29 volunteers, scientists discovered 15 commonly identified compounds that cause parosmia.

Dr. Jane Parker, an associate professor of flavor chemistry at the University of Reading and director of the Flavor Center, said:

“This is solid evidence that not everything is’in the head’and that disgust may be related to distorted food compounds. The central nervous system is certainly involved in the interpretation of the signals received from the nose.

The parosmic experience is a combination of two mechanisms that create the distorted perception of everyday food and the associated disgust.

“We can see that certain aromatic compounds in foods have this particular effect. People with parosmia can be reassured and triggered to know that their experience is’real’. We hope to be able to identify other sexual foods and propose “safe” foods that are less likely to cause problems. .. This study provides useful tools and strategies to prevent or mitigate the effects of triggers. “

Simon Gane, one of the researchers at the Royal National Ear, Nose and Throat and Eastman Dental Hospital, said: On the nose. As these molecules are the way they are detected, we have found that they need to be involved in nerves and their receptors. “

Some of the most cited foods and drinks that cause parosmia in patients are:

• coffee
• onion
• garlic
• chicken
• green pepper

In this study, we used a technique called GC-Olfactometry. The aroma of coffee is introduced at one end of a very long, thin pipe called a capillary. Some aromatics pass through the capillaries faster than others. The fastest comes out first from the other end, the slowest comes out later, so the compounds are separated so that volunteers can smell them and explain them one by one.

Prior to the pandemic caused by Covid-19, irritant odor is a rare condition known to occur after infections such as the common cold, influenza, and sinus infections. Little was known about the cause and treatment.

Symptoms of Covid-19 during a pandemic included odor and taste loss in 50-60% of cases, of which about 10% developed parosmia. Since the Omicron variant, loss of odor and taste has become a less common symptom (estimated to occur in about 10-20% of cases) and the number of cases of parosmia may be reduced. However, parosmia is still estimated to affect 2 million people in Europe.

AbScent is a charity that cares for those who have been exposed to the loss of smell. AbScent, provided by a prominent advisory board, is an unparalleled resource of reliable information dealing with the latest scientific and clinical evidence.

About this olfactory research news

author: Tim Mayo
Source: University of Reading
contact: Tim Mayo – University of Reading
image: The image is in the public domain

Independent research: Open access.
“”Insight into molecular triggers for parosmia based on gas chromatography orfactometryAccording to Parker, JK et al. Communication medicine

overview

See also

Insight into molecular triggers for parosmia based on gas chromatography orfactometry

Background

Parosmia is a debilitating condition in which familiar odors are distorted and disgusting, affecting diet and mental health. This is a hallmark of post-infection sensory loss, especially due to COVID-19. Currently, little is understood about its pathophysiology, and the general hypothesis of the underlying mechanism is the abnormal growth of regenerative olfactory neurons after injury.

Method

Gas chromatograph using gas chromatographs, individual components of a complex sensory mixture as a rapid screening tool for assessing both quantitative and qualitative sensory dysfunction, with or without parosmia. Present to. This allows you to report related sensory effects and identify molecules that are essentially altered or parosmic.

result

Here are 15 different molecular triggers for this symptom.These trigger molecules are common to many of the parosmic volunteer groups and share certain properties such as very low odor thresholds and common molecular structures.

Conclusion

In most cases, certain hyperodorous active molecules are responsible for the irritant symptoms, causing disgust, suggesting that parosmia is a phenomenon at least partially at the receptor level.