Perception of salty taste and preference to sodium chloride

Abstract

Sodium chloride is the main food additive contributing to salty taste. It also has preserving effect and participates in acquiring desirable textural characteristics and properties of the food. Main role of sodium in human organism is presented in this paper, as well as mechanisms of the regulation of sodium metabolism and negative effects of excessive intake of sodium. Excessive sodium intake is one of the causes of essential hypertension as direct risk of myocardial infarction, left ventricular hypertrophy, clinical and idiopathic edema, reduced elasticity of blood vessels, proteinuria, risk of coronary and kidney disease, risk of stomach cancer, incidence of renal celluloses, decreased bone density, exacerbation of asthma attacks, increased insulin resistance and incidence of obesity. Also, in this paper, development of the sense of taste is presented, neural regulation of the taste for salt, as well as development of preference to salt occurring in early childhood and transmitted through adolescence to adulthood, which may have lifelong implications. Reduced intake of salt, compared to usual intake available through food, can have long lasting effects and at the same time, it can develop the sense of taste in children in a way that they consume food with less sodium chloride as adults. Studies in this field are very limited, but it is important to point out that exposure to salt in the early years of life greatly determines the preference to salt in the adulthood, which is important from the aspect of, either preservation, or health impairment, depending on the sodium intake.