Your sense of smell can predict how long you will live

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A keen sense of smell is linked to improved health, but trying to pick up smells can lead to weakness and death.

A new study suggests that loss of smell could be a useful indicator of the general health of older people.

A simple smell test is easy to perform, takes just a few minutes, and could potentially be used as a valuable tool to assess risk, frailty, or unhealthy aging. For example, if someone failed a smell test, the patient may need to improve their diet or undergo a more detailed neurological or medical evaluation.

The study, which builds on previous research, found that decreased olfactory function is a common early indicator of brain-related cognitive decline.

The study participants were tested on their ability to detect and record five different odors during the study. They were also given six odors to measure how well they could detect the presence of an odor. These measures of smell are called olfactory sensitivity and olfactory identification. The participants’ health status was also noted in terms of senility, an age-related syndrome of physical decline.

Impaired olfactory identification and sensitivity functions are associated with frailty. This suggests that it’s not just your aging brain that’s at work here. But it could also be something peripheral, like your nose, that can predict our inevitable frailty and death.

Healthy aging involves moderate alcohol consumption, staying socially active, and quitting smoking. Getting regular checkups and screenings can also detect the onset of disease that can be changed.