As the population ages, dementia has become an increasing health concern around the world.
Dementia is not one single condition, but essentially an umbrella term that covers a wide range of cognitive disorders. This includes Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for 60 to 80% of cases, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
There are more than 850,000 people living in the UK with dementia, and there is currently no cure. But recognising the early signs and symptoms is still very important.
One of the most common signs of Alzheimer’s disease, especially in the early stage, is forgetting recently learned information.
However, there are a few other early indicators which could pertain to different food cravings.
Food cravings
While Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, one of the rarer forms, known as frontotemporal dementia (FTD), causes problems with behaviour and language and surprisingly food choices.
According to Alzheimer's Society, patients with FTD may “crave sweet, fatty foods, or carbohydrates and forget their table manners.
The health charity added: "They may also no longer know when to stop eating, drinking alcohol, or smoking."
Those suffering with the brain degenerative condition may forget how to chew and swallow or may be distracted by their environment.
They may also find eating difficult.
Symptoms such as loss of appetite, loss of memory and problems with judgement can cause difficulties with food, eating and nutrition.
Alzheimers.net said: “As most caregivers know, many people who have dementia experience sudden changes in appetite which can lead to appetite loss, weight loss or increased cravings of foods and weight gain.
“Often people with dementia don’t taste food and experience flavour like they once did, which can change appetite preferences.
“Because taste buds are diminished as people age, people with dementia opt for heavy foods or foods with a lot of flavour.”
A person’s taste buds detect four tastes: sweet, salty, sour and bitter.
As one gets older, the fewer taste buds they have and the less sensitive they become to taste.
When we are young, we have between 10,000 and 15,000 taste buds. However, by age 70, most have lost about two out of three of the taste buds and as such food often begins to taste bland.
Medications for dementia and Alzheimer’s are also known to affect a person’s taste.
Other symptoms of dementia
- Subtle short-term memory changes
- Difficulty finding the right words
- Changes in mood
- Apathy
- Difficulty completing tasks
- Confusion
- Difficulty following storylines
- A failing sense of direction
- Repetition
- Struggling to adapt to change
- Poor judgement.
