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Learning Objective 1: The leaner will be able to understand the investigation of taste sensation.
Learning Objective 2: The leaner will be able to acquire suggestion for eating behavior intervention.
Methods: The gustation of seven subjects who had consented to be tested was investigated in 2008 with the filter paper disc method.Results: The subjects consisted of two females and five males (average age: 47.4±8.7). Of these subjects, only one person did not show any signs of deterioration in the sense of taste. Three subjects were assessed to have a medium or significant loss of sensation of salty taste, but they said they were unaware of such a loss. The loss of sensation of all the four tastes was observed in three out of the seven subjects, and one of the three did not perceive such loss at all, while the other two reported a slight deterioration in salty taste alone. These three subjects stated that they preferred stronger tastes and consumed many carbohydrates but a few vegetables. All of them were smokers and two took medication for lifestyle-related illnesses.
Conclusion:A gustation test was conducted to seven subjects using the filter paper disc method. The results indicate that all the subjects who were smokers, including two who were also patients of lifestyle-related diseases, showed the loss of all the four basic tastes. Some of them perceived the loss of salty taste but not the other three tastes. The lack of perception of the diminished taste may result in the preference of stronger tastes, and such preference tends to cause increased appetite and excessive eating, thereby leading to eating disorder. This study suggested that the loss of taste sensations might be a factor in improper eating behavior.
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