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Research: umami contributes to health

Research undertaken by Tohoku University and published in the Flavour journal claims that umami taste has an important role to play in oral and overall health. There is, say the reseachers, a close relationship between an individual’s perception of umami taste and that individual’s physical condition. The team’s newly developed umami taste sensitivity test revealed […]

Research undertaken by Tohoku University and published in the Flavour journal claims that umami taste has an important role to play in oral and overall health.

There is, say the reseachers, a close relationship between an individual’s perception of umami taste and that individual’s physical condition. The team’s newly developed umami taste sensitivity test revealed the loss of only the umami taste sensation with preservation of the other four basic taste sensations (sweet, salty, sour, and bitter) in some elderly patients. All such patients complained of appetite and weight loss, resulting in poor overall health. The researchers also found that treatment of hyposalivation diminishes hypogeusia, indicating that salivation is essential to the maintenance of normal taste function. Based on these findings, the researchers consider that improvement in salivary flow may serve as a treatment for patients with taste disorders.

Umami taste stimulation increases the salivary flow rate because of the gustatory–salivary reflex. The team used Japanese Kobucha (kelp tea: tea made of powdered tangle seaweed) to stimulate umami taste and promote reflexive salivation. Improvements were noted in salivation, taste function, appetite, weight, and overall health.

The study concludes that maintenance of umami taste function contributes not only to the preservation of good oral health but also to the general overall health in elderly people.