Title:The Role of Zinc in the Treatment of Taste Disorders
Volume: 5
Issue: 1
Author(s): Takakazu Yagi, Akihiro Asakawa, Hirotaka Ueda, Satoshi Ikeda, Shouichi Miyawaki and Akio Inui
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Carbonic anhydrase (CA), feeding, saliva, taste disorder, zinc deficiency, zinc transporter, Taste Sensation, Saliva Secretion, Carbonic Anhydease, Zinc Supplement.
Abstract: In the 1990s the number of patients diagnosed with taste disorders in the USA and Japan was over one million
people each year, and the number is increasing annually. Taste disorders are caused by several factors such as genetic disease,
head trauma, structural changes, glossodynia, cancer, change of lifestyle, and more. The role of zinc in the treatment
of taste disorders has been studied since the oral administration of zinc by patients was reported to improve their taste disorders.
Carbonic anhydrase (CA), a zinc metalloenzyme, has also been studied in association with taste disorders, since
the regulation of serum CA levels was shown to influence the effect of orally administrated zinc in the treatment of taste
disorders. Zinc is an essential trace element that contributes to the active center of approximately 300 enzymes. Studies
have revealed that zinc is involved in various physiological functions. Moreover, some medications have been shown to
induce a zinc deficiency, which has been associated with a variety of clinical conditions. Hence, since the relationship between
taste disorder and serum zinc concentration has been discussed for long time, taste disorder may be useful in diagnosing
zinc deficiency. Moreover, it appears that medicines of the zinc-containing supplement type contribute to the
treatment of taste disorders caused by zinc deficiency. Orally administered zinc has been shown to directly stimulate food
intake via neuropeptide in the hypothalamus. Therefore, zinc administration may potentially be used to treat taste disorders,
as well as several other diseases by stimulating feeding. The article presents some promising patents on the role of
zinc in the treatment of taste disorders.