The Effect of Zinc Status on Salty Taste Acuity, Salty Taste Preference, Sodium Intake and Blood Pressure in Korean Young Adults

Eun Jung Ahn; Hwa Young Noh; Jayong Chung; Hee Young Paik

doi:10.4163/kjn.2010.43.2.132

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Ahn, Noh, Chung, and Paik: The Effect of Zinc Status on Salty Taste Acuity, Salty Taste Preference, Sodium Intake and Blood Pressure in Korean Young Adults

Original Article

Korean Journal of Nutrition

Korean Journal of Nutrition 2010; 43(2): 132-140.

Published online: 28 April 2010

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4163/kjn.2010.43.2.132

The Effect of Zinc Status on Salty Taste Acuity, Salty Taste Preference, Sodium Intake and Blood Pressure in Korean Young Adults

Eun Jung Ahn¹, Hwa Young Noh¹, Jayong Chung², Hee Young Paik¹

¹Department of Food and Nutrition, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Korea.

²Department of Food and Nutrition, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea.

To whom correspondence should be addressed. (hypaik@snu.ac.kr)

Received 9 December 2009 Revised 9 February 2010 Accepted 15 March 2010

Abstract

High sodium intake is one of the risk factors for the development of hypertension. According to 2007 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, sodium intake of Korean was three times higher than adequate intake (1.5 g/day) recommended by Korean Dietary Reference Intakes. High sodium intake is related to high threshold and preference of salty taste. And zinc status is known to affect taste acuity. The hypothesis of this study is that zinc status is associated with salty taste acuity, preference, sodium intake and blood pressure. The subjects included in this study were 50 men and 41 women aged 20-29 y who did not smoke and not take supplements or medications regularly. Dietary intake data for 3 days were collected by 24-h recall for 1 day and dietary record for 2-days. Salty taste acuity and preference were determined by sensory test. Fasting serum concentration of zinc, height, weight, body composition and blood pressure data were collected. Salt taste preference in high zinc intake group (≥ estimated average requirement, EAR; men-8.1 mg/day, women-7 mg/day) was higher than that in low zinc intake group (< EAR). Salty taste preference was inversely correlated with serum zinc concentration in people with low concentration of serum zinc (≦ 81µg/dL)(r = -0.3520, p < 0.05). Diastolic blood pressure was higher in high sodium intake group than in low sodium intake group (p < 0.05), positively correlated with salty taste preference (r = 0.3866, p < 0.05) in subjects with daily zinc intake below the EAR. We conclude that low zinc status may be related to high salty taste preference and high blood pressure in Korean young adults.

Keywords: zinc status, salty taste acuity, salty taste preference, hypertension, sodium intake

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1

Distribution of salty taste acuity in study subjects (n = 91).

Fig. 2

Distribution of salt tasty preference in study subjects (n = 91).

Fig. 3

Relationship between salt preference and salty taste acuity.

Fig. 4

Relationship between salty taste preference and serum zinc. A: Low serum zinc (n = 46). B: Normal serum zinc (n = 45).

Table 1

General characteristics and blood pressure of study population

1) All the p-value of difference between men and women were calculated by ANCOVA (age adjusted)

2) Mean ± SD

3) BMI: Body mass index, SBP: Systolic blood pressure, DBP: Diastolic blood pressure, MAP: Mean arterial pressure [DBP + (SBP-DBP)/3]

Table 2

Dietary zinc intake and serum zinc concentrations of study population

1) Difference between men and women were calculated by ANCOVA (age adjusted) or chi-square test

2) Mean ± SD

3) EAR: Estimated average requirements, Men: 8.1 mg/day, Women: 7 mg/day

4) < 81 (µg/dL)

Table 3

Salty taste of young adults by zinc status

1) EAR: Estimated average requirements, Men: 8.1 mg/day, Women: 7 mg/day

2) All the p-value were calculated by ANCOVA (age, sex adjusted)

3) < 81 (µg/dL), 4) Mean ± SD

Table 4

Salty taste and blood pressure of subjects by sodium intake

1) < Median (3,500 mg/day)

2) The p-value were calculated by ANCOVA (age, sex adjusted for salty taste; age, sex, BMI adjusted for blood pressure)

3) < Median (1,920 mg/1,000 kcal)

4) Mean ± SD

5) SBP: Systolic blood pressure, DBP: Diastolic blood pressure, MAP: Mean arterial pressure [DBP + (SBP-DBP)/3]

Table 5

Relationship between salty taste and blood pressure by zinc intake level

1) EAR: Estimated average requirements, Men: 8.1 mg/day, Women: 7 mg/day

2) Partial correlation after adjusting age, sex, BMI

3) SBP: Systolic blood pressure, DBP: Diastolic blood pressure, MAP: Mean arterial pressure [DBP + (SBP-DBP)/3]

Notes

This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (KRF-2008-313-C00978).

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