I've always had a heightened sense of taste and smell and I never smoked nor had cancer. I can taste when a tomato or salad item has gone bad before it is noticed by others. Lots of people are like that and are called "super tasters". Maybe radiation has a side "benefit" in that it provides for a heightened sense of taste. Re smokers, I don't think they can taste things as well as non-smokers and that's probably why when they quit, they can taste things better which encourages more eating and gaining weight. My ex (a smoker & now deceased) had a big hissy fit once, when he accused me of putting mayonnaise on his pork sandwich that he took to work. And it wasn't even pork, it was turkey! So I know his taste was off probably because of smoking. Karen, I do think quitting smoking gives you a heightened sense of smell A smoker gets used to the smell. It's like when people live close to an evil smelling paper factory or some other evil smelling area. When they live with it, after a while they don't notice it.