Effect of Age, Sex and Illness on Salt Taste Detection Thresholds

Abstract

Salt taste detection thresholds have been measured by a forced-choice, up-down sip method in 146 healthy subjects aged 10-95 years, and in 43 ill elderly patients. Thresholds are shown to increase log linearly with age after the age of 20 years. Thresholds are higher in smokers than non-smokers and the lower thresholds of women are accounted for by their lower prevalence of smoking. Ill patients have higher thresholds than healthy subjects of the same age and this is not specifically associated with any diagnosis. The methodology of taste threshold measurement and earlier studies of taste thresholds are reviewed.

Individual Differences in Retronasal Odor Responsiveness: Effects of Aging and Concurrent Taste

“…Had we evaluated an older group of individuals and/or used a single odor compound, more defined differences in olfactory responsiveness between young and old cohorts would likely have emerged. Combined together, the current study support the previous findings that aging may adversely affect taste (Baker et al 1983;Weiffenbach et al 1986) and orthonasal olfaction (Stevens and Cain 1985;Cain and Stevens 1989), but that the degree of decline is much greater for olfaction than for taste (Stevens et al 1982(Stevens et al , 1984Murphy 1985;Cain 1985, 1986;Cowart 1989). In addition, current findings also suggest that while some older individuals may lose their olfactory sensitivities, others may maintain their sensitivities fairly well.…”

Evoked taste thresholds in a normal population and the application of electrogustometry to trigeminal nerve disease.

“…The findings are in agreement with electrogustometric recordings3 32 and parallel the results of chemical tests for taste threshold in the elderly. 33 34 The data show a significant elevation in taste threshold with age in both smokers and non-smokers. Whereas in young people there is a negligible difference due to smoking, this becomes more evident with increasing age (fig 3).…”

Ageing and taste

“…In addition, sensory-testing methodologies varied, as did the tastants used coupled with their concentration ranges and progressions. Many studies commented that there were gender differences in thresholds as well as age differences, so as the genders were not balanced in all studies this will have contributed to discrepancies (5)(6)(7)(8)(9) . Of the forty papers investigating detection thresholds, the majority used some form of alternative forced choice (AFC) procedure where tastants were presented in aqueous solution alongside control water samples; either 2-AFC (10,11) where each sample concentration was presented against one water control and the volunteer stated which was the stronger sample, or 3-AFC (5,9,12) where each sample was presented against two controls.…”

“…Of the forty papers investigating detection thresholds, the majority used some form of alternative forced choice (AFC) procedure where tastants were presented in aqueous solution alongside control water samples; either 2-AFC (10,11) where each sample concentration was presented against one water control and the volunteer stated which was the stronger sample, or 3-AFC (5,9,12) where each sample was presented against two controls. In some cases, volunteers were only presented each concentration once (an ascending AFC method) (12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19) , whereas more rigorous papers used a staircase methodology where 'turning points' are established through presenting the volunteer samples below and above their individual threshold more than once to have more confidence in the individual's threshold (8,10,11,(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27) . Hybrids between these two method types do exist, for example where authors have used an ascending AFC method and then repeated the determined threshold (28) .…”

“…5 g per 100 g product. Although the distribution of individual salt detection thresholds is wide, a large study (n 146) by Baker (8) found that very few individuals had thresholds above 50 mM (0 . 3 % NaCl).…”