Our sense of taste changes and diminishes with time. As we grow old, the number of taste buds decreases. In addition to it, our remaining taste buds also start to shrink and do not function properly. Consequently, there is decrease in sensitivity to taste, typically affecting salty or sweet and eventually sour or bitter foods. Our sense of smell may also begin to decrease contributing to loss of taste. This usually starts to occur in 40s in women  and in 50s in males. Many people may not realize the decrease in sense of smell and taste because it occurs gradually. In some cases, if the loss of smell is severe enough, it can cause a serious risks. Food may become less appealing and may contribute to nutrition problems in older people. They would not eat as much as they should.