On Tuesday, April 25, 2000 7:12 PM Spike Jones spike66@ibm.net wrote:
> > Robert Bradbury wrote: the elderly generally have poor
> > nutrition. This is attributed in part to a decreased ability to
> > smell and taste the food...
I've heard it's also attributed to the lack of digestive enzymes and the
reduction in stomach acid production. A recent issue of _Life Extension_
discussed this. See www.lef.org
It might also be because some elderly people are depressed or, in some
cases, might not know how to care for themselves. (In the latter cases, I'm
thinking of a lot of elderly widowers who don't know how to prepare foods
and either wind up eating out a lot or making easy to prepare ("microwave
classics", cold cuts, TV dinners, etc.) meals at home. I think someone did
a study on this a number of years ago.)
> This has led me to speculate that if one were to defeat the
> olfactory organs, then one's sense of taste would be greatly
> diminished which would almost naturally make CR much
> easier, resulting in a longer life.
>
> At a price. Any takers? Has anyone heard of anyone who
> tried such a strategy? spike
A capital idea!
I think it could be done reversibly and cheaply. Several methods come to
mind. One is using some sort of face mask. Another is to put something in
the nose to disallow the aromas in. Another might be to overpower food
odors with other odors. Someone might try that and see what happens.
I have heard that eating bland foods generally makes one consume less.
Daniel Ust
http://mars.superlink.net/neptune/
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