Interdisciplinary Center Smell and Taste, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The Affiliated Hospital XUZHOU Medical University, Xuzhou, China.
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2019 Oct;276(10):2811-2817. doi: 10.1007/s00405-019-05558-7. Epub 2019 Jul 16.
Eating-related problems are among the most frequent issues in olfactory impairment, causing a noticeable loss of quality of life for some of the affected persons. To what extent olfactory dysfunction impacts on the sensory perception of food is less explored. The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of olfactory dysfunction on the perception of food aromas, as well as the perception of the "basic tastes" salty, sour, sweet, and bitter.
Eighty-nine participants were recruited for the prospective study. Group 1 consisted of thoroughly examined patients with olfactory dysfunction (n = 48, mean age = 60.0 years), group 2 consisted of people with normal olfactory function (n = 41, mean age = 50.4 years). First, olfactory and gustatory functions were assessed for all participants with the help of the "Sniffin'Sticks" battery and the "taste strips" test. Second, food odors were rated for their pleasantness, intensity, familiarity and desirability. Last, real food items were tasted orally and the intensity for basic taste qualities (sweet, bitter, salty, and sour) and pleasantness was rated. In addition, salivation was measured following exposure to the food odors.
In comparison to controls, patients rated orthonasal food odors as less pleasant, intense, familiar, and less appetizing. "Taste strip" scores were significantly lower in patients (M = 9.56, SD = 2.76) as compared to controls (M = 10.88, SD = 1.89). In addition, ratings of food liking for chocolate and peanut were lower in patients compared to controls (chocolate: patients-M = 6.85, SD = 2.09, controls-M = 7.90, SD = 1.53; peanut: patients-M = 4.88, SD = 2.20, controls-M = 6.80, SD = 2.33). No significant differences were found regarding the comparison of the salivary flow rate in controls (M = 0.52 g/min, SD = 0.19) and patients (M = 0.50 SD = 0.17).
Changes in the perception of odors may change the perception of food with specific effects on food liking. Olfactory dysfunction affects gustatory function, indicating the central-nervous interaction between taste and smell. Still, olfactory dysfunction did not appear to affect patients' salivary flow.
与饮食相关的问题是嗅觉障碍中最常见的问题之一，这导致一些患者的生活质量明显下降。嗅觉功能障碍在多大程度上影响食物的感官感知还不太清楚。本研究的目的是检查嗅觉功能障碍对食物香气感知的影响，以及对“基本味道”咸、酸、甜、苦的感知。
本前瞻性研究招募了 89 名参与者。第 1 组由嗅觉功能障碍的患者（n=48，平均年龄 60.0 岁）组成，第 2 组由嗅觉功能正常的人（n=41，平均年龄 50.4 岁）组成。首先，使用“Sniffin' Sticks”电池和“味觉条”测试评估所有参与者的嗅觉和味觉功能。其次，对食物气味的宜人程度、强度、熟悉度和吸引力进行评分。最后，品尝真实食物并对基本味觉（甜、苦、咸、酸）和愉悦度进行强度评分。此外，还测量了暴露于食物气味后的唾液分泌量。
与对照组相比，患者对鼻内食物气味的评价不那么宜人、强烈、熟悉和开胃。患者的“味觉条”评分明显低于对照组（M=9.56，SD=2.76）。此外，患者对巧克力和花生的食物喜好评分低于对照组（巧克力：患者-M=6.85，SD=2.09，对照组-M=7.90，SD=1.53；花生：患者-M=4.88，SD=2.20，对照组-M=6.80，SD=2.33）。对照组（M=0.52g/min，SD=0.19）和患者（M=0.50，SD=0.17）的唾液流量无显著差异。
嗅觉感知的变化可能会改变对食物的感知，对食物喜好有特定的影响。嗅觉功能障碍会影响味觉功能，表明味觉和嗅觉在中枢神经系统中的相互作用。尽管如此，嗅觉功能障碍似乎并没有影响患者的唾液分泌。
