How Taste is Affected With Old Age

I read the article, "Does Taste Decrease With Old Age?" by Fred Cicetti.  This article was prompted by a question a reader asked.  It talks about how taste is affected by old age.  The reader asked, "I have a bet with a friend that you start losing your sense of taste as you get older. She says that her taste is as strong as ever and thinks I’m wrong. Who wins the bet?"  The author responds as neutral to who wins the bet because there are so may factors.  In the article he says,"In general, sensitivity to taste gradually decreases with age. But there are some whose taste isn’t affected by getting older...While taste is important, we recognize flavors largely through our sense of smell."  This was very interesting to me because I thought it was only taste that made us know different foods.  My friend has no sense of smell because of a medical condition and it makes me wonder if we taste the same thing?  How does she preceve different foods?  Do we all perceive foods the same? 

In this article he also talks about how sometimes people can lose their sense of taste.  He says that sometimes you can lose your sense of taste in only one area such as the area of your tongue that preceves sweet foods.  Does that mean that things that would be sweet would taste bitter or does it mean they would have no taste at all?  Do things with multiple taste come out like only the things you can taste?  This article made me question alot of things and wonder alot about the scientific reasons behind this.