The development of a new treatment for taste impairment using difructose as an enhancer of zinc absorption.

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We developed the ratio of apo/ holo activities of angiotensin coverting enzyme(ACR ratio) in the serum and examined patients with taste impairment and healthy subjects for their zinc nutrition using ACE ration as an index. In addition to a significant increase in ACE ratio in taste impairment patients with low concentrations of zinc in serum, ACE ratio was also significant elevated in taste impairment patients with normal value of zinc. These finding indicate that zinc deficiency is a predominant factor underlying taste impairment even when zinc concentrations are within normal ranges in serum. But, there were no differences in dietary zinc intake between patients and age-adjusted healthy subjects, suggesting that patients with taste impairment have malabsorption of dietary zinc in the gastrointestinal tract. We then examined the effects of zinc supplementation with difructose that enhances the absorption of zinc on taste impairment and showed its favorable efficacy. It is suggested that zinc supplementation with difructose will be a new treatment in patients woth refractory taste impairment.