Dietary intake, taste receptors and health in older age

Diet is a key modifiable determinant of health in older age and, alongside social and environmental factors, may be influenced by genetic variation in taste receptor genes involved in bitter, salty and sweet taste perception. This project uses data collected from the Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) clinical trial and the ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons (ALSOP) cohorts to examine the relationship between intake of salty, sugary and bitter foods and beverages, taste receptor single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and major health outcomes, including dementia, cardiovascular disease, cancer and mortality.