Taste acuity, plasma zinc levels, and weight loss during radiotherapy: a study of relationships

Conference · Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1982 · Radiology; (United States)

OSTI ID:6928978

Bolze, M S ^[1]; Fosmire, G J; Stryker, J A; Chung, C K; Flipse, B G

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1. Kansas State Univ., Manhattan

Thirty-five patients who were to undergo radiotherapy and 13 normal subjects were evaluated with taste questionnaires, taste acuity tests, and plasma zinc analyses. The studies were repeated on the patients in the fifth week of radiotherapy. The mean taste thresholds for NaCl (salt), sucrose (sweet), HCl (sour), and urea (bitter) were elevated and the plasma zinc levels were lower (77.2 +/- 11.8 vs. 94.6 +/- 30.1 g/100 ml, p = 0.055) for the patients than for the controls. However, there was not a significant correlation between the taste thresholds and plasma zinc levels at any time. The mean weight loss experienced by the 14 patients who reported subjective taste alteration in the fifth week was 3.1 kg versus 0.1 kg (p = 0.005) for those who did not report taste alteration. The data suggest that alterations in taste acuity, but not plasma zinc levels, are associated with weight loss during radiotherapy.

• OSTI ID: 6928978
• Journal Information: Radiology; (United States), Vol. 144:1; Conference: Sixty-sixth Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, Dallas, TX, USA, 16 Nov 1980
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
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CHLORIDES
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ELEMENTS
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HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
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NUCLEAR MEDICINE
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ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
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ORGANOLEPTIC PROPERTIES
ORGANS
RADIATION EFFECTS
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