It has been found that both the sense of taste and smell become dull as we get older because tastebuds and the nerves involved in the olfactory system deteriorate and die. The number of functional tastebuds may dwindle from about 7000 at birth to 1000 or 2000 by lat adulthood. As a result, a 70-year-old may need two teaspoons of sugar in a cup of coffee in order to perceive the same preferred degree of sweetness that was enjoyed from one teaspoonful at age 25.