RESUMO
Objective:This study examined the influences of age and gender on the taste function of a sizable sample of healthy Chinese subjects using the Waterless Empirical Taste Testï¼WETT®ï¼, and provided scientific evidences for taste evaluation in clinic. Methods:A total of 159 subjects were tested based on strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. The 53 stimuli strips, presented on monomer cellulose pads, were designed to test 5 basic taste functions including sour, sweet, bitter, salty and umami of all subjects. The analysis was computed in SAS 9.4 statistical software. Results:The total taste score of the subjects was 35.00±8.94; the average test administration time wasï¼21.61±7.80ï¼ min. The total test scores decreased across age categoriesï¼young group: 37.41±8.12, middle-aged group: 34.48±9.04, elderly group: 29.31±8.64ï¼, the correlation coefficient between the total test scores and age was r=-0.335, P<0.05. There were significant differences in sour and bitter scores among different age groupsï¼Psour=0.019, Pbitter<0.001ï¼. Overall, women outperformed men on the total testï¼[36.53±8.72]vs[32.93±8.87], P=0.012ï¼. There were correlations among individual taste of scores, and the correlation coefficient between umami and total score was the strongestï¼rumami/total=0.700ï¼P<0.05ï¼. Conclusion:This study demonstrated that a simple self-administered taste test, the WETT®, could be applied to Chinese healthy people. Age and gender-effects are the main factors which affect gustatory function.
