Taste perception of sodium chloride in suprathreshold concentration related to essential hypertension.

The object of this study was to test taste responsiveness and taste preferences for NaCl in suprathreshold concentrations in hypertensive individuals. The investigations were carried out in 52 patients with essential hypertension (HT) and 46 normotensive (NT) control subjects. Two types of taste response were tested: (a) an intensity response, and (b) a hedonic (pleasantness) response to NaCl stimuli of 0.08-0.96% concentration. Intensity and hedonic responses were collected using an unstructured linear scale and a nine-point interval scale, respectively. The intensity slope for HT tended to be consistently flatter than the slope for NT. Lower intensity response was more pronounced in HT males. The hedonic responses of HT and NT subjects were split into three subgroups: 'up' (concentration increases, pleasantness increases), 'down' (concentration increases, pleasantness decreases), and 'up-and-down' (concentration increases, pleasantness--). Diversity of response was also observed in the control NT group. The conclusion was that essential hypertension seems to depress the intensity response to NaCl, especially in men, but the pattern of hedonic response to a growing concentration of NaCl is influenced by factors other than hypertension.