Taste perception and food preferences in patients with diabetic foot ulcers before and after hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on taste perception and food preferences in patients with diabetic foot ulcers. METHODS: The study involved 75 healthy people (Group C) and 23 patients with diabetic foot ulcers before HBOT (Group Db) and after 25-30 HBOT treatments (Group Da) (2.5 ATA, 87 min). The sip and spit method was used to examine the taste perception for 5 basic flavours. Food preferences were studied using photographs of dishes. RESULTS: The recognition thresholds in Group C were lower than in Group Db for 5 basic flavours. The taste intensity in Group C was higher than in Group Db for: 0.1% and 1.0% monosodium glutamate, 0.02% citric acid, and 0.002% quinine hydrochloride. The hedonic response in Group C was more negative than in Group Db for: 0.18% sodium chloride, 0.3% monosodium glutamate and 0.1% citric acid. The pleasure derived from eating in Group C was lower than in Group Db for sour and salty products. The recognition thresholds in Group Db were higher than in Group Da for umami and sour. The taste intensity in Group Db was lower than in Group Da for: 0.1%, 0.3% and 1.0% monosodium glutamate. The pleasure derived from eating in Group Db was higher than in Group Da for chocolate and crisps. CONCLUSIONS: In people with diabetic foot ulcers, an impaired all 5 basic tastes occurred with different food preferences compared to healthy people. HBOT causes beneficial changes resulting in increased sensitivity to umami and sour taste as well as a decrease in the pleasure derived from eating chocolate and crisps.

The Assessment of Quality of Products Called Sandalwood Oil Based on the Information Provided by Manufacturer of the Oil on Polish, German, and English Websites.

BACKGROUND: Sandalwood oil is one of the most valuable raw materials worldwide. As a highly valued product, it has its own regulations based on the ISO 3518 standard, which clearly informs producers, distributors, and consumers of the requirements to be met. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of products called sandalwood oil based on the information provided by the manufacturer of the oils on Polish, German, and English websites. METHODS: A Google search was utilized to collect data on sandalwood oil offered by producers and distributors in Polish and foreign markets. Information from 50 websites in each of the aforementioned languages, including the description of sandalwood oil properties on websites, method for using it, safety limitations, and presence of a product description consistent with the INCI recommendations, was gathered using Microsoft Excel software and was analyzed. The information that enabled us to estimate the quality of the oils was the botanical name of the oil-bearing plant and the price. Good-quality oils were considered to be oils with the botanical name Santalum album in the description and with a price not considerably less than the price of white sandalwood oils sold by reliable distributors who control the quality of the oils by chromatography. Ultimately, the lower price limit for one milliliter of the oil was established as PLN 21. Results and Conclusions. Good-quality sandalwood oils derived from the Santalum album plant at a price equal to or greater than the chromatographically tested items amounted to a negligible percentage of products sold online. Without knowing the botanical name of the essential oil plant and the price range of unadulterated sandalwood oil, the likelihood of buying a reliable product is low on all of the analyzed websites, with the lowest probability being observed on the Polish websites.

Alterations in taste perception as a result of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

The present study evaluates the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on taste sensitivity, hedonic perception of taste, and food preferences. The studied groups included 197 people in total (79 in the study group; 118 in the control group). All patients from the study group were treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy due to chronic non-healing wounds. The control group consisted of healthy people, who did not receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The taste intensity, recognition thresholds, and hedonic perception were examined using gustatory tests. The aqueous solutions of sucrose for sweet, sodium chloride for salty, citric acid for sour, quinine hydrochloride for bitter, and monosodium glutamate for umami taste were used. The participants fulfilled the questionnaire to examine pleasure derived from eating certain types of dishes. Gustatory tests and analyses of the pleasure derived from eating in the study group were carried out before the first exposure to hyperbaric oxygen and then at the end of therapy, after at least 25 sessions of treatment. In the control group, examination of perception of taste sensations was conducted only once. The results of comparing patients with non-healing wounds with healthy people are characterized by reduced taste sensitivity. After participation in hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the improvement in perception of taste sensations and changes in hedonic evaluation have occurred among patients with non-healing wounds. In terms of food preference, a decreased desire for eating sweet desserts, chocolate, and crisps was observed in those patients who received hyperbaric oxygen therapy.