Related Experiment Videos
[Changes in the threshold values of lingua throughout aging]
K Kugino1, T Mizunuma, M Kaneko
1Department of Nutrition, Yamaguchi Prefectural University.
Fukuoka Igaku Zasshi = Hukuoka Acta Medica
|May 16, 1998
Summary
Taste sensitivity significantly declines with age, particularly for bitterness and sourness, starting as early as the twenties. This study quantifies age-related gustatory changes in healthy women.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Sensory Science
- Physiology
Context:
- Aging is associated with sensory decline, impacting taste perception.
- Quantifying age-related changes in gustatory function is crucial for understanding health and nutrition in older adults.
- The filter-paper-disk method allows for precise measurement of taste thresholds.
Purpose:
- To measure the taste threshold values for sucrose (sweetness), sodium chloride (saltyness), sodium tartrate (sourness), and quinine hydrochloride (bitterness) in healthy females.
- To investigate the relationship between aging and the decline in gustatory sensitivity.
- To identify specific taste modalities most affected by aging and the age of onset for these changes.
Summary:
- A study involving 308 healthy females (aged 20-79) utilized the filter-paper-disk method to assess taste thresholds.
- Results indicate a rapid decrease in gustatory sensitivity with aging, most pronounced for bitterness, followed by sourness, sweetness, and saltyness.
- Taste sensitivity decline begins in the early twenties, with significant decreases in sweetness and sourness perception observed between the twenties and thirties.
Impact:
- Provides critical data on the normative decline of taste function with age in women.
- Highlights the early onset of taste sensory decline, particularly for sweet and sour tastes.
- Informs potential interventions related to nutrition, diet, and quality of life for aging populations.