1233-P: Relationship between Taste Recognition Thresholds and Obesity in Type 2 Diabetes

Objective: An increased taste threshold can often lead to lifestyle diseases such as obesity. However, little knowledge is available on whether the coexistence of obesity and diabetes affects taste recognition. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between degrees of obesity and taste recognition thresholds for the 5 basic tastes (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami) in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: The study was performed in 30 outpatients (22 men and 8 women) with type 2 diabetes who were not receiving pharmacotherapy (age: 59.1 ± 13.0 years, BMI: 25.2 ± 3.8 kg/m2, HbA1c: 7.0 ± 1.2%, fasting plasma glucose: 137 ± 40 mg/dl). Taste recognition thresholds for the 5 basic tastes were evaluated with the filter paper disk method. The Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman’s test were used for analysis. Results: Taste thresholds measured by perception levels in patients with type 2 diabetes were as follows: sweetness, 3.5 ± 1.5; saltiness, 2.6 ± 0.9; sourness, 3.2 ± 1.3; bitterness, 2.7 ± 1.3; and umami, 4.8 ± 1.3. The recognition thresholds for sweetness and sourness were significantly higher than in healthy people. (sweetness, 0.001; sourness, 0.007; both P Conclusion: Although patients with type 2 diabetes who are not receiving pharmacotherapy have higher taste thresholds for sweetness and sourness than healthy people, these differences were not associated with the degree of obesity. Disclosure C. Sakai: None.