Garrett-Laster M, Russell R M, Jacques P F
Hum Nutr Clin Nutr. 1984 May;38(3):203-14.
Taste and olfaction sensory modalities and the response to vitamin A replenishment were studied in 37 vitamin A deficient patients (determined by low serum levels and abnormal dark adaptation) with stable alcoholic cirrhosis. Among this group of patients, 11 also had low serum zinc levels which ranged from 45 to 63 micrograms/dl. Initial taste and olfaction mean detection thresholds for all test substances were significantly higher (less sensitive) in all patients as compared to 21 sex-matched healthy subjects of the same age range (P less than 0.05). Twenty-seven patients including the 11 patients with low serum zinc were treated with oral vitamin A (10 000 micrograms/d) for 4 weeks. Among the vitamin a deficient patients there was significant improvement following vitamin A treatment in the mean detection and mean recognition thresholds for bitter and salty taste (P less than 0.01) and for pyridine olfaction (P less than 0.05) regardless of zinc status. Improvement in taste and olfaction correlated with a reversal of serum vitamin A levels and dark adaptation toward normal. The mechanism whereby vitamin A affects specific taste and smell (ie salty and bitter taste; pyridine smell) modalities is at present unknown.
对37例患有稳定期酒精性肝硬化的维生素A缺乏患者（通过低血清水平和异常暗适应确定）的味觉、嗅觉感觉模式以及对维生素A补充的反应进行了研究。在这组患者中，有11例血清锌水平也较低，范围为45至63微克/分升。与21名年龄范围相同、性别匹配的健康受试者相比，所有患者对所有测试物质的初始味觉和嗅觉平均检测阈值均显著更高（敏感性更低）（P<0.05）。包括11例血清锌水平低的患者在内的27例患者接受了口服维生素A（10000微克/天）治疗4周。在维生素A缺乏的患者中，无论锌状态如何，维生素A治疗后苦味和咸味的平均检测和平均识别阈值以及吡啶嗅觉的平均检测和平均识别阈值均有显著改善（P<0.01）和（P<0.05）。味觉和嗅觉的改善与血清维生素A水平和暗适应恢复正常相关。目前尚不清楚维生素A影响特定味觉和嗅觉（即咸味和苦味；吡啶气味）模式的机制。
