Use of flavor-amplified foods to improve nutritional status in elderly patients.

Impairment of taste and smell perception can lead to decreased food intake in the elderly. The losses in chemosensory functioning can result from normal aging, disease state, drugs, and environmental pollutants. Experimental investigations are underway to develop practical taste enhancers. Clinical studies suggest that the addition of odors to foods to compensate for diminished chemosensory functioning is often helpful in increasing intake of nutrient-dense foods in older persons.