A sign that can increase the risk of death by 46% within 10 years

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The course of your life is subject to many accidents. For example, you cannot predict with absolute certainty that you will not suffer the fate of a chronic illness or a catastrophic injury. However, progress has been made in understanding the traits most predictive of longevity and death, respectively.

For the latter, one of the most surprising predictors is loss of smell. Studies have shown a link between the loss of smell in the elderly and the risk of death within a short period of time—often five years or less.

Loss of smell increases the risk of death for more than a decade. The study also identified the leading causes of death associated with loss of smell. Those who scored low on the smell test had a 46% higher risk of dying within 10 years and a 30% higher risk of dying within 13 years compared to those with a stronger sense of smell.

In particular, a poor sense of smell has been linked to mortality from cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Other studies have shown that a poor sense of smell is a possible early symptom of dementia, but this study suggests that it can also be a sign of underlying health problems related to heart disease.