As we age, our preference for sugar increases due to the combined effects of a decline in sense of smell, changes in taste buds, and an adaptation of the brain that seeks more intense gustatory pleasures.

noli's read

Julien Ménielle’s observation is entirely accurate: we seek out more sweetness as the years go by. A systematic review published in the journal Frontiers (2024) confirms that our gustatory and olfactory capacities decline naturally with age. However, on a purely sensory level, the idea that sugar has 'more taste' is scientifically reversed. Observational synthesis studies show that our detection threshold for sugar increases (by 1.5 to 2 times), which means our physical sensitivity decreases. It is precisely because meals seem blander that our brain adapts and demands simple, intense pleasures. The sweet taste, which is better preserved than other flavors like salty, thus becomes a comforting refuge to compensate for this loss of sensory benchmarks.

the sources

No named source held this one up — that absence is part of the verdict.