Abnormalities in taste and smell are commonly reported in patients receiving
chemotherapy and may hinder appetite, dietary intake, nutritional well-being, and quality of life. Oral
zinc has been used to treat taste and smell abnormalities in several altered physiologic states, including
renal failure,
liver disease,
head trauma, and pregnancy, with varying results. The authors conducted a double-blinded, placebo-controlled randomized clinic trial over 3 months. Eligible patients were those taking
chemotherapy that had alterations in taste and/or smell. The measurement of the primary end point, improvement in
altered taste and smell, was made using a 0-100 scale (100 describing no loss or distortion in taste and smell, and 0 describing the worst distortion or
loss of taste and smell). Twenty-nine subjects were enrolled in each treatment group, of whom 31 were white, 26 African American, and 1 Native American. Forty-one patients were female. A wide range of
cancer types was represented, with breast the most common (21 patients). The
zinc dose was 220 mg orally twice daily (equivalent of 50 mg elemental
zinc twice daily). There was no statistically significant improvement in loss or distortion of taste or smell with the addition of
zinc. There was a trend toward improvement over time in all groups, except in the
zinc group where there was a nonsignificant worsening in
loss of smell over time.
Zinc at standard doses did not provide significant benefit to taste or smell in patients receiving
chemotherapy.