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

Abstract

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.

Authors:
 [1]; ; ; ;
  1. Kansas State Univ., Manhattan
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
6928978
Resource Type:
Conference
Journal Name:
Radiology; (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 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
Subject:
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.; 62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE; DIARRHEA; RADIOINDUCTION; NAUSEA; PROCTITIS; RADIOTHERAPY; SIDE EFFECTS; TASTE BUDS; BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS; VOMITING; WEIGHT; ZINC; BIOCHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS; BLOOD PLASMA; CONCENTRATION RATIO; ESOPHAGUS; FLAVOR; HYDROCHLORIC ACID; PATIENTS; SACCHAROSE; SODIUM CHLORIDES; UREA; ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS; AMIDES; BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS; BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS; BLOOD; BODY; BODY FLUIDS; CARBOHYDRATES; CARBONIC ACID DERIVATIVES; CHLORIDES; CHLORINE COMPOUNDS; DIGESTIVE SYSTEM; DIGESTIVE SYSTEM DISEASES; DISACCHARIDES; DISEASES; ELEMENTS; HALIDES; HALOGEN COMPOUNDS; HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS; INORGANIC ACIDS; KINETICS; MATERIALS; MEDICINE; METALS; NUCLEAR MEDICINE; OLIGOSACCHARIDES; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS; ORGANOLEPTIC PROPERTIES; ORGANS; RADIATION EFFECTS; RADIOLOGY; REACTION KINETICS; SACCHARIDES; SENSE ORGANS; SODIUM COMPOUNDS; SYMPTOMS; THERAPY; 560151* - Radiation Effects on Animals- Man; 550603 - Medicine- External Radiation in Therapy- (1980-)

Citation Formats

Bolze, M S, Fosmire, G J, Stryker, J A, Chung, C K, and Flipse, B G. Taste acuity, plasma zinc levels, and weight loss during radiotherapy: a study of relationships. United States: N. p., 1982. Web.
Bolze, M S, Fosmire, G J, Stryker, J A, Chung, C K, & Flipse, B G. Taste acuity, plasma zinc levels, and weight loss during radiotherapy: a study of relationships. United States.
Bolze, M S, Fosmire, G J, Stryker, J A, Chung, C K, and Flipse, B G. 1982. "Taste acuity, plasma zinc levels, and weight loss during radiotherapy: a study of relationships". United States.
@article{osti_6928978,
title = {Taste acuity, plasma zinc levels, and weight loss during radiotherapy: a study of relationships},
author = {Bolze, M S and Fosmire, G J and Stryker, J A and Chung, C K and Flipse, B G},
abstractNote = {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.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6928978}, journal = {Radiology; (United States)},
number = ,
volume = 144:1,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1982},
month = {Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1982}
}

Conference:
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