Associations between Zinc Deficiency, Taste Changes, and Salivary Flow Rates following Gastric Bypass and Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgeries
Table 2
Mean differences for weight reduction, zinc levels, taste strips, and questionnaire outcomes at 3- and 6-month follow-ups.
3 months
Diff.†
6 months
Diff.
SG (n = 25)
GB (n = 18)
SG (n = 20)
GB (n = 17)
BMI reduction kg/m2, mean (SD)
8.52 (5.9)
4.35 (3.4)
0.01
10.9 (5.7)
6.0 (3.8)
0.005
Body weight reduction kg, mean (SD)
20.8 (7.1)
13.4 (7.1)
0.001
30.6 (16.1)
17.9 (8.8)
0.006
Zinc mg/dl, mean (SD)
71.4 (15.2)
68.9(12.7)
0.51
84.9 (21.6)
67.5(9.16)
0.004
Questionnaire elements n (%)
Appetite change, n = 43
18 (72.0%)
13 (72.2%)
0.98
17 (85%)
10 (63%)
0.15
Taste change, n = 43
9 (36%)
13 (72%)
0.03
9 (45%)
9 (56%)
0.74
Smell change, n = 42
4 (17%)
4 (22%)
0.70
3 (15%)
4 (25%)
0.68
Overall loss of taste, n = 43
2 (8%)
6 (33%)
0.05
2 (10%)
5 (31%)
0.20
Increased taste to sweet foods, n = 20
6 (75%)
7 (58%)
0.64
7 (50%)
3 (42%)
0.99
Decreased taste to sweet foods, n = 20
2 (25%)
6 (50%)
0.37
2 (14%)
2 (29%)
0.57
Increased taste to salty food, n = 19
4 (50%)
4 (36%)
0.65
1 (8%)
0 (0%)
—
Decreased taste to salty foods, n = 19
0 (0%)
2 (18%)
—
2 (15%)
1 (17%)
0.99
Increase taste to sour foods, n = 18
4 (16%)
3 (17%)
0.63
3 (23%)
2 (33%)
0.99
Decreased taste to sour foods, n = 18
1 (13%)
4 (40%)
0.31
3 (23%)
0 (0%)
—
Taste strips’ outcomes
Overall hypogeusia, n (%)
9 (36.0)
8 (44.4)
0.75
2 (11.1)
7 (44.0)
0.052
Sweet hypogeusia, n (%)
6 (24.0)
6 (33.3)
0.51
2 (10.5)
2 (12.5)
0.86
Sour hypogeusia, n (%)
4 (16.0)
5 (27.8)
0.45
3 (15.8)
5 (31.3)
0.42
Salt hypogeusia, n (%)
5 (20.0)
6 (33.3)
0.48
4 (21.1)
4 (25)
0.78
Bitter hypogeusia, n (%)
3 (13.6)
0 (0)
—
0 (0)
0 (0)
—
†The test for a difference was performed by using an independent t-test for parametric variables. Person’s chi-square test was used for the difference in proportions, with a value of 0.05, while the † Fisher’s exact test for low expected frequencies was used for the taste change questionnaire outcome (i.e., 20% of the expected frequencies at <5), with a value of 0.05. †Fisher’s exact test was also used for the outcomes of the taste strips’ test to illustrate the % of overall hypogeusia and % of hypogeusia in each taste quality during the follow-up period, and among patients who underwent sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass. Patients are subject to sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and gastric bypass (GB).
