Associations of taste sensitivity with frailty and health-related quality of life in older adults

BACKGROUND: Reduced taste sensitivity may contribute to appetite loss and frailty in older adults, yet evidence based on objectively measured taste sensitivity is limited. OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations of objectively measured taste sensitivity with frailty, health-related quality of life (HR-QoL), diet quality, and oral function. METHODS: We assessed sweet, salt, and umami taste sensitivities in 70 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 82 years) using the whole-mouth method. Frailty was evaluated using the Basic Checklist, HR-QoL was assessed using the SF-36, diet quality was assessed using the Modified Japanese Diet Score (MJDS), and oral function was assessed by dentists using established criteria. Multiple regression analyses were performed to assess the associations of taste sensitivity with frailty, HR-QoL, diet quality, and oral function. RESULTS: Lower sweet taste sensitivity was associated with greater frailty (coefficient [95% CI], 0.28 [0.10, 0.46], p = 0.004). Lower sweet and umami taste sensitivities were significantly associated with lower mental HR-QoL (-6.47 [-11.44, -1.50], p = 0.01 and -5.89 [-11.40, -0.38], p = 0.04, respectively). Higher diet quality and better oral function tended to be associated with better sweet taste sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: Sweet taste sensitivity is inversely associated with frailty and mental HR-QoL. Improving diet quality and oral function may contribute to improved taste sensitivity.