Korean J Otorhinolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  2013 May;56(5):286-290. 10.3342/kjorl-hns.2013.56.5.286.

The Effect of Aging on Taste Thresholds in Korean

• Lee JW
• Shin SH
• Rhyu MR
• Kim JY
• Ye MK

• KMID: 2277756
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3342/kjorl-hns.2013.56.5.286

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
The sense of taste is one of the most important human senses and plays a critical role in an individual's food preferences and the nutritional status. Proper gustatory function in older people is important for quality of life and enjoyment of food. The objectives of this study was to investigate the effect of aging on taste thresholds in Korean subjects.
SUBJECTS AND METHOD
One hundred sixty normal volunteers without smell and taste disorders were investigated. Each subject was given a questionnaire for age, sex, status of smoking and medication. Then, a whole mouth taste test was performed with successive solutions of sucrose, sodium chloride, citric acid, and quinine hydrochloride.
RESULTS
Older subjects (over 50 years) showed worse taste sensitivity compared with younger subjects (age 20-29 years). The detection thresholds of all four basic tastes and the recognition threshold of salty taste of elderly participants were significantly higher than those of young participants.
CONCLUSION
Gustatory sensitivity was found to decrease with age. Especially, older subjects appeared to have a reduced perception of salt, which can alter eating habits, such as intake of more salty foods. Our data can provide preliminary normative values for future investigation of chemosensation in the Korean population.

Keyword

Aging; Taste; Taste threshold

MeSH Terms

Aged
Aging
Citric Acid
Eating
Food Preferences
Humans
Mouth
Nutritional Status
Quality of Life
Surveys and Questionnaires
Quinine
Smell
Smoke
Smoking
Sodium Chloride
Sucrose
Taste Disorders
Taste Threshold
Citric Acid
Quinine
Smoke
Sodium Chloride
Sucrose