School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle, Ourimbah, NSW 2258, Australia.
School of Medicine & Public Health, The University of Newcastle, Gosford, NSW 2250, Australia.
Nutrients. 2021 Feb 24;13(3):719. doi: 10.3390/nu13030719.
Differences in sour-taste thresholds have been identified in cognition-related diseases. Diet is a modulator of cognitive health, and taste perception influences dietary preferences and habits. Heritable genetics and polymorphisms in the gene involved in the transduction of sour taste have been linked to variations in sour taste and non-gustatory functions. However, relationships between sour taste genetics, mild cognitive impairment, and diet quality are yet to be elucidated. This study investigated the associations between the presence of the -rs236514 variant (A) allele, diet quality indices, and mild cognitive impairment evaluated by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), in a secondary cross-sectional analysis of data from the Retirement Health & Lifestyle Study. Data from 524 elderly Australians (≥65y) were analyzed, using standard least squares regression and nominal logistic regression modeling, with demographic adjustments applied. Results showed that the presence of the -A allele is associated with increased proportions of participants scoring in the range indicative of mild or more severe cognitive impairment (MMSE score of ≤26) in the total cohort, and males. These associations remained statistically significant after adjusting for age, sex, and diet quality indices. The absence of association between the -A allele and cognitive impairment in women may be related to their higher diet quality scores in all indices. The potential link between sour taste genotype and cognitive impairment scores may be due to both oral and extra-oral functions of sour taste receptors. Further studies are required on the role and relationship of neurotransmitters, sour taste genotypes and sour taste receptors in the brain, and dietary implications, to identify potential risk groups or avenues for therapeutic or prophylactic interventions.
在与认知相关的疾病中，已经发现了酸味阈值的差异。饮食是认知健康的调节剂，而味觉感知会影响饮食偏好和习惯。酸味转导相关基因中的遗传基因和多态性与酸味和非味觉功能的变化有关。然而，酸味遗传、轻度认知障碍和饮食质量之间的关系尚未阐明。本研究通过退休健康与生活方式研究的数据进行二次横断面分析，调查了-rs236514 变异（A）等位基因的存在、饮食质量指数与通过迷你精神状态检查（MMSE）评估的轻度认知障碍之间的关系。对 524 名澳大利亚老年人（≥65 岁）的数据进行了分析，使用标准最小二乘法回归和名义逻辑回归建模，并进行了人口统计学调整。结果表明，-A 等位基因的存在与总队列和男性中 MMSE 评分（≤26）表明存在轻度或更严重认知障碍的参与者比例增加有关。在调整年龄、性别和饮食质量指数后，这些关联仍然具有统计学意义。-A 等位基因与女性认知障碍之间没有关联，可能与她们在所有指数中较高的饮食质量评分有关。酸味基因型与认知障碍评分之间的潜在联系可能是由于酸味觉受体的口腔和口腔外功能。需要进一步研究神经递质、酸味基因型和大脑中的酸味觉受体的作用和关系，以及饮食的影响，以确定潜在的风险群体或治疗或预防干预的途径。
