Altered Taste Function in Young Individuals With Type 1 Diabetes

Flavor and taste recognition impairments in people with type 1 diabetes

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Adherence to dietary recommendations is a critical component in the management of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Taste and flavor significantly influence food choices. The aim of this study was to investigate taste sensitivity and flavor recognition ability in adults with T1D compared to healthy individuals.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

Seventy-two people with T1D and 72 matched healthy controls participated in the study. Participants underwent the gustometry test for sweet, sour, salty, and bitter tastes and the flavor test, which consisted of oral administration of aqueous aromatic solutions identifying 21 different compounds.

RESULTS

Participants with T1D had significantly lower flavor scores and gustometry scores than controls (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0063, respectively). T1D individuals showed a lower perception of sour, bitter and salty tastes than controls, while the perception of sweet taste was similar. The sex differences and age-related decline in flavor perception observed in controls were not present in the participants with T1D. Neither BMI nor disease-related parameters such as fasting blood glucose on the day of the study, glycosylated hemoglobin, age at onset of diabetes, duration of diabetes, or type of insulin treatment (insulin pump or multiple daily injections) correlated with flavor and taste perception in the T1D participants.

CONCLUSIONS

Flavor and taste perception are impaired in adults with T1D, potentially affecting dietary adherence and food choices. This highlights the need for further research into the mechanisms underlying sensory changes in T1D and emphasizes the importance of targeted dietary interventions to improve health outcomes and quality of life in this population.

Chemosensory Functions in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Their Association with Clinical Disease Activity

Purpose: Decreased olfactory and gustatory functions are present in various systemic autoimmune diseases. However, little is known about the chemosensory functions of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The present study aimed to investigate olfactory and gustatory functions in patients with IBD and their correlation with clinical disease activity. Methods: A total of 103 patients with IBD were included (52 men, 51 women, mean age 40.3 ± 1.2 years) in the present study. Chemosensory functions were assessed utilizing the “Sniffin’ Sticks” olfactory function test and “taste sprays” gustatory function test. The clinical disease activity of patients was graded as remission, mild, and moderate−severe. In addition, inflammatory markers (fecal calprotectin, C-reactive protein and blood leucocyte count) were recorded. Results: In total, 70% of IBD patients were normosmic, 30% were hyposmic, and none of them was functionally anosmic; 6% of the patients showed signs of hypogeusia. Patients with moderate−severe IBD reached a higher olfactory threshold score compared with patients with remission (p = 0.011) and mild IBD (p < 0.001). The BMI of IBD patients was inversely correlated with their olfactory threshold (r = −0.25, p = 0.010). Olfactory and gustatory function in IBD patients did not correlate with duration of disease, blood leucocyte count, CRP level, or fecal calprotectin level. However, patients’ olfactory function significantly increased after 4 months of TNF-α inhibitor treatment (p = 0.038). Conclusions: IBD patients are more likely to present with hyposmia. Olfactory thresholds were mainly affected. They were significantly associated with clinical disease activity and BMI. As shown in a subgroup, treatment with TNF-α inhibitors appeared to improve olfactory function.