More spice could help seniors avoid salt

Date:
February 3, 2022
Source:
Washington State University
Summary:
Add a little spicy seasoning to a low sodium meal, and adults
over the age of 60 may have a harder time noticing a lack of salt,
according to a new study. The study tested saltiness perception in
older adults using white sauce formulations with varying amounts
of salt and different spices and seasonings added.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Add a little spicy seasoning to a low sodium meal, and adults over the
age of 60 may have a harder time noticing a lack of salt, according to
a new study in the journal Food Quality and Preference.


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Led by Carolyn Ross, a professor of Food Sciences at Washington State University, the study tested saltiness perception in older adults using
white sauce formulations with varying amounts of salt and different
spices and seasonings added.

The results of the analysis showed the addition of chipotle seasoning
to the white sauce made it difficult for the study participants
to differentiate between the samples with low and high levels of
salt. Conversely, the addition of herbs, such as basil leaves, garlic
powder and coarse ground pepper, was not as effective at masking the
samples with less salt. The research points to the significant role that
spice could play in reducing salt intake for people over 60.

"We were working specifically with a population of older adults to see
if we could reduce the amount of salt in a product and then tailor it to
their tastes," Ross said. "This is important because the ability to taste
and smell is known to weaken with age, and weaker perception of salty
flavors may induce people to season their food with excessive salt, which
may increase their risk of cardiovascular disease." For their study,
Ross and Mari'a Laura Montero, a postdoctoral researcher in the WSU
School of Food Sciences, recruited 39 healthy people over the age of 60
to participate in an in-person taste testing experiment that took place
over several days slightly prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previous research examining saltiness perception in older adults has
tended to use water as a matrix for tasting experiments rather than
actual food products.

To generate more realistic data in terms of what people actually enjoy
eating, Ross and Montero used a white sauce formulation that is commonly
found in ready-to-eat Cajun chicken pasta meals.

The study participants were asked to compare three different formulations
of the sauce at five different salt concentrations. One of the
formulations had no added herbs, the second had just herbs, and the
third had both herbs and chipotle seasoning. Their results showed the formulation with both herbs and chipotle seasoning made it difficult
for the seniors to determine the amount of salt being used while the formulation with exclusively herbs did not.

In addition to administering the taste test, the researchers surveyed
their participants about their oral and olfactory health, the number
and type of medications they were taking and any other pre-existing
conditions that might affect their saltiness perception.

Their analysis showed there was a positive correlation between poor
oral health and the number of medications each participant was taking,
which could be a result of less saliva production; however, their data
on whether or not this was the main cause of lowered saltiness perception wasn't conclusive.

Moving forward, when it is once again feasible to recruit participants
for in- person studies, the researchers plan to follow-up with a larger
study evaluating lower salt concentrations as well as different herb
and spice concentrations.

"To date, a clear relationship between taste loss, and thus
higher taste thresholds, and eating behavior remains to be
established," Ross said. "So, we are investigating a bunch of
different possible factors." special promotion Get a free digital
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we always get wrong about diet and exercise. Claim_yours_now_>>> ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Washington_State_University. Original written by Will Ferguson. Note: Content may be edited for style and
length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Mari'a Laura Montero, Carolyn F. Ross. Saltiness perception in white
sauce formulations as tested in older adults. Food Quality and
Preference, 2022; 98: 104529 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104529 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220203083613.htm

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