Abstract
According to the literature reports of both the sensory loss of individuals with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and of the importance of family interrelationships in the management of this pathology, there is a demand to evaluate the sensory perception of relatives of individuals with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Consequently, the aim of this study was to evaluate sweet taste perception of diabetic individuals and their relatives. Methods: For this purpose, a sample of 150 volunteers was invited to participate, which was composed by individuals of both sexes, aged between 18 and 59 years, equally divided into three groups, constituted with 50 volunteers each: non-diabetic individuals, diabetic individuals and relatives. Furthermore, the glucose concentration of all participants was determined by capillary glycemia, and the diabetic participants were referred to a third-party laboratory to perform the glycated hemoglobin test using the immunoturbidimetric. Moreover, a questionnaire of personal and socio-demographic information was applied to diabetic participants and the sensory perception was evaluated through the test for sweet taste sensitivity. Results: The glycemic levels of the diabetic participants given by the Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) test revealed that the results had a mean of 7.92 + 1.89%, equivalent to 180.60 + 54.52 mg/dL. The threshold was 3.34 g/L for diabetic participants, 2.60 g/L for relatives, and 1.92 g/L for the control group. Conclusions: Therefore, the present study demonstrated that the threshold index for sweet taste perception is higher in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and their relatives when compared to the control group.
Highlights
The sensory loss of sweet taste perception in individuals with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is crucial for the maintenance and aggravation of the pathological condition because this condition can lead to increased consumption of carbohydrates and mortality rates from Diabetes Mellitus (Di Carli et al, 2018; Khera & Saigal, 2018)
The group of diabetic individuals was formed by people living in the municipality who did not present a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus; the diabetic group was composed of individuals with confirmed diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and; the group of relatives consisted of relatives of the participants of the second group, who did not present a diagnosis of T2DM
The present study demonstrated that the threshold index for sweet taste detection is higher in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and their relatives when compared to the control group
Summary
The sensory loss of sweet taste perception in individuals with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is crucial for the maintenance and aggravation of the pathological condition because this condition can lead to increased consumption of carbohydrates and mortality rates from Diabetes Mellitus (Di Carli et al, 2018; Khera & Saigal, 2018). The theme was highlighted in a survey in 2016 (Dias et al, 2016), where the rapid method of determining the threshold index was used, pointing to the decrease and / or loss of sensitivity to sweet taste by diabetic individuals. Studies have reported the alteration of taste sensitivity in diabetic people, few have analyzed this condition in relatives of individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM).Some articles point to the interrelationship between diabetics and the family, as in a literature review on the subject (Rintala et al, 2013), in which they concluded that more attention should be given to factors such as the family in controlling diabetes. Other research has revealed the changes that occur in the lives of these families, highlighting those related to food restriction (Malaquias, 2016). According to them, restructuring the diet is one of the most difficult changes that the family faces when dealing with diabetes
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