TY - JOUR
T1 - The effect of taste on swallowing
T2 - A scoping and systematic review
AU - Mulheren, Rachel
AU - Westemeyer, Ross M.
AU - Dietsch, Angela M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Consuming foods and liquids for nutrition requires the coordination of several muscles. Swallowing is triggered and modified by sensory inputs from the aerodigestive tract. Taste has recently received attention as a potential modulator of swallowing physiology, function, and neural activation; additionally, taste impairment is a sequela of COVID-19. This review presents factors impacting taste and swallowing, systematically summarizes the existing literature, and assesses the quality of included studies. A search was conducted for original research including taste stimulation, deglutition-related measure(s), and human participants. Study design, independent and dependent variables, and participant characteristics were coded; included studies were assessed for quality and risk of bias. Forty-eight articles were included after abstract and full-text review. Synthesis was complicated by variable sensory components of stimuli (taste category and intensity, pure taste vs. flavor, chemesthesis, volume/amount, consistency, temperature), participant characteristics, confounding variables such as genetic taster status, and methods of measurement. Most studies had a high risk of at least one type of bias and were of fair or poor quality. Interpretation is limited by wide variability in methods, taste stimulation, confounding factors, and lower-quality evidence. Existing studies suggest that taste can modulate swallowing, but more rigorous and standardized research is needed.
AB - Consuming foods and liquids for nutrition requires the coordination of several muscles. Swallowing is triggered and modified by sensory inputs from the aerodigestive tract. Taste has recently received attention as a potential modulator of swallowing physiology, function, and neural activation; additionally, taste impairment is a sequela of COVID-19. This review presents factors impacting taste and swallowing, systematically summarizes the existing literature, and assesses the quality of included studies. A search was conducted for original research including taste stimulation, deglutition-related measure(s), and human participants. Study design, independent and dependent variables, and participant characteristics were coded; included studies were assessed for quality and risk of bias. Forty-eight articles were included after abstract and full-text review. Synthesis was complicated by variable sensory components of stimuli (taste category and intensity, pure taste vs. flavor, chemesthesis, volume/amount, consistency, temperature), participant characteristics, confounding variables such as genetic taster status, and methods of measurement. Most studies had a high risk of at least one type of bias and were of fair or poor quality. Interpretation is limited by wide variability in methods, taste stimulation, confounding factors, and lower-quality evidence. Existing studies suggest that taste can modulate swallowing, but more rigorous and standardized research is needed.
KW - Deglutition
KW - flavor
KW - genetic taster status
KW - swallowing
KW - taste
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85137194037&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1080/10408398.2022.2115003
DO - 10.1080/10408398.2022.2115003
M3 - Review article
C2 - 36036968
AN - SCOPUS:85137194037
SN - 1040-8398
VL - 64
SP - 1256
EP - 1282
JO - Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition
JF - Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition
IS - 5
ER -