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Taste thresholds for salt in fasting patients.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|August 1, 1975
Summary
Human taste sensitivity for salt does not change with shifts in body fluid volume. This study found no variation in salt taste thresholds despite predictable changes in sodium balance.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Neuroscience
- Human Sensory Perception
Background:
- The relationship between extracellular volume and salt taste sensitivity is debated in humans.
- Animal studies suggest a link, but human data remains controversial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether changes in taste sensitivity for salt occur in humans in relation to alterations in extracellular volume.
- To clarify the controversy surrounding salt taste acuity and sodium balance in humans.
Main Methods:
- Human volunteers underwent a controlled protocol to establish a predictable pattern of external sodium balance.
- Saline acuity was assessed by measuring taste thresholds for salt.
Main Results:
- Taste thresholds for salt remained consistent throughout the study.
- No significant variation in salt taste thresholds was observed despite directed changes in renal sodium excretion and sodium balance.
Conclusions:
- Changes in extracellular volume do not appear to alter taste sensitivity for salt in humans.
- The findings suggest that human salt taste perception is independent of acute changes in sodium balance.