The threshold level of the five basic taste attributes was examined in elderly subjects for comparison with the levels in young subjects. The relationship among the taste threshold, sex, drinking, smoking, and artificial teeth was also examined, and the features of the food preference and taste were compared between the elderly and young subjects.
The threshold level of all five taste solutions for the elderly subjects was higher than for the young. No relationship among the taste threshold, sex, and artificial teeth was apparent. Any influence of drinking and smoking on the taste was not clear, because the amounts of alcohol and tobacco consumed by most of the elderly subjects were small. The elderly had less preference for a sweet taste than the young. No correlation between the taste preference and taste threshold was apparent.
These results suggest that the sensitivity for all the basic taste attributes of the elderly was inferior to that of the young, and that the taste preference also differed between the elderly and young subjects.
