Decrease in TIMP-1 Level in Saliva from Patients with Taste Disorder

It has been estimated that about 140 thousand people per year in Japan develop disorders of taste and smell. Decreased taste (hypogeusia) or distorted taste (dysgeusia) are common symptons associated with many disease statuses and drug therapies. There are only a few studies on these disorders because they are seldom fatal and are not considered as serious handicaps. Zinc deficiency is a common problem among the elderly, and this deficiency is concerned with taste disorder, growth failure and impaired wound healing1). The idea that zinc is effective in taste disorder patients with low serum zinc concentrations is supported by the experimental data reported by Yoshida, et al.2) and Heyneman3).