Question

mr. sanford is a 72 - year - old man who has poor nutrient intake. while he was in his physicians office for a routine checkup, he mentioned that foods just dont taste good anymore. a possible cause for mr. sanfords altered sense of taste is a/an ______ deficiency.

multiple choice

chromium

iron

zinc

selenium

Explanation:

Zinc deficiency is known to affect the sense of taste (hypogeusia). Chromium is more related to glucose metabolism, iron to oxygen transport (and can cause taste changes but less commonly than zinc in this context), and selenium to antioxidant functions. So a zinc deficiency is a common cause of altered taste, especially in cases of poor nutrient intake like in Mr. Sanford's case.

Answer:

C. zinc