The ability to smell poorly is at risk of premature death

If you want to know how long you live, the sensitivity of your nose can help you find the answer, a study concludes.

In an elderly study, scientists found an association between the inability to identify a certain odor, such as peppermint, fish - and increased risk of death within the next five years. . Called "olfactory dysfunction" , not smelling odor is a predictor of when someone is even more powerful than conditions like heart failure , cancer or lung disease, according to homes. Research at the University of Chicago.

"The loss of sense of smell is a dangerous early warning sign. It is not directly fatal but it is an indicator - an early warning that something is going bad, being destroyed" , chief The research team, Dr. Jayant Pinto, surgical specialist at the University of Chicago (USA), said in the report.

In the study, scientists conducted a simple odor test with 3,005 participants aged 57-85. Each person is required to identify five common smells: peppermint, fish, oranges, roses and leather goods. Most of them (nearly 78%) are capable of sniffing normally, which means they can correctly identify at least 4 out of 5 odors. Nearly 20% correctly identified 2 or 3 odors and the remaining 3.5% only correctly identified one odor or failed to identify any of the 5 odors.

Artwork: Medicaldaily.com

Five years after this time, researchers recorded living cases. They found that 430 study participants (12.5%) died, 39% of these were the ones who had shown the highest incapacity to smell 5 years ago. 19% of the group of people with the ability to lose moderate odor is also among the deaths. However, only 10% of people who are able to smell good have died.

"Obviously, people do not die just because their olfactory system is destroyed. However, the reduction in smelling ability may be a sign of a decline in the ability of the body to recover important damaged components. age, leading to death from other causes, " said Dr. Martha McClintock, co-author of the study, a professor of psychology at the University of Chicago.

Odor dysfunction, as McClintock stresses, may be a sign of slowing cell regeneration, or it may be a consequence of years of exposure to a toxic environment.

In the draft of this study, the authors have confirmed the role of olfactory as an ancestral mechanism - related to many physiological processes. For example, smelling helps people maintain proper nutrition, stimulates appetite and prioritizes certain types of food. Smelling also involves detecting environmental hazards, pathogens and even being associated with emotions and memory.

Other studies on how to predict the risk of death focus more on physical and health indicators that are often difficult to apply. A 2011 study by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh showed that people walking a meter per second or more often live longer than people of the same age and same sex who go slower.

A 2010 study, based on a review of 28 smaller studies, found people with poor outcomes when taking simple health checks, including their ability to hold, walk, stretch in a chair. and balancing on one leg - increasing the risk of death compared to those who perform these requirements well.

But using odors to predict the risk of death is easier than performing physical competencies, Dr. Pinto said.

"The results of our research can provide a useful clinical trial - quickly and inexpensively, to identify high-risk patients , " Pinto said.

This research was published on October 1 in the journal PLOS ONE.

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