Covid infection can lead to a wide a array of short-term and long-term symptoms. Most of which are troubling, interfering with one’s day-to-day activities. However, in a new study, researchers have found that the troubling sign of loss of your sense of taste or smell may indicate that your body has a stronger immune response.
The findings of the study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, revealed that COVID patients who experienced loss of smell and taste were twice as likely to have antibodies, long after the infection.
1.About the study:-
The study by researchers from Columbia University involved 306 adults from northern Manhattan, New York City, who had a COVID infection in the first months of the pandemic. About two-thirds of the people in the study reported suffering from loss of smell or taste when they were infected by the Coronavirus. The study participants were then invited for an antibody blood test at least two weeks after their infection had passed.
2.Data on COVID antibody levels:-
COVID antibody levels wane over time. This makes someone infected with the virus eventually test negative for the virus-fighting proteins. Antibody test results were available for 266 of the 306 participants. Of these, 176 tested positive for COVID-fighting antibodies. On the other hand, 90 participants tested negative.
3.Findings explained:-
The study findings showed 71 percent of those who reported a loss of taste or smell had Covid antibodies. According to the study findings, 71 percent of the study participants who reported a loss of taste or smell had COVID antibodies. On the other hand, out of those who didn’t report these symptoms, just 57 percent tested positive for the COVID-fighting antibodies. This shows that people who lost their sense of taste and smell were about 100 percent more likely to test positive for COVID-fighting antibodies than those who did not experience these symptoms.
4.Limitations of the study:-
Loss of taste and smell were more common symptoms in the early stages of the pandemic. Due to vaccinations and new COVID variants, these symptoms have now become less common. This makes the relevance of the new study unclear since the participants did not get vaccinated and the virus has also mutated since the early months of the pandemic.
5.Tips to improve your weakened sense of taste:-
In your daily diet, include foods that have a naturally strong smell or taste, such as strong cheese or toasted nuts. Also include aromatic herbs, seasonings and spices to boost flavor in the food you cook and eat. Try eating foods that have different textures and colors.
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