TASTE PERCEPTION AND BREAST-CANCER - EVIDENCE OF A ROLE FOR DIET

Suprathreshold taste perception and nutrient intake were assessed for two groups of women aged 44 to 56 years: 24 mastectomized breast cance r outpatients and 24 matched controls. Salty and sweet taste intensity and pleasantness were evaluated in aqueous solutions and simple foods by unstructured line scaling. Dietary intakes were assessed by combin ed dietary recall (1 day) and food record (3 days). Suprathreshold tas te intensity and pleasantness data did not differ between the breast c ancer and control groups. Breast cancer subjects consumed less energy and were at greater overall nutritional risk than the controls. Compar ed with control subjects, breast cancer subjects were at greater risk of calcium and iron deficiency. Regression analysis was used to invest igate relationships between diet and taste for a breast cancer subgrou p (n = 7) with unusually low energy intake (less-than-or-equal-to 1,30 0 kcal/day) and a high overall nutritional risk (25.6%). For the subgr oup, significant relationships between taste and diet were found, alth ough taste data did not differ from that of the controls. Percent risk s of nutrient deficiency for vitamin B-12, thiamin, folacin, iron, and riboflavin were important predictors of taste-intensity slopes for th e cancer subgroup. Findings suggest that for some of the breast cancer subjects, diet may be associated with unsatisfactory nutritional stat us and may be affected by suprathreshold taste perception.