Smell That? Good! You Might Have a Lower Risk of Developing Alzheimer's

If you were asked to list some early signs of Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, you might come up with symptoms such as confusion, memory loss or word-finding difficulties. But how about another one-- a decreased sense of smell.

Scientists have noticed that people with early dementia often have an impaired olfactory sense. In other words, they can't detect, identify or distinguish odors. Multiple studies have been conducted to determine if this is scientifically accurate, and three main results have been identified:

People with cognitive decline were more likely to demonstrate an impaired sense of smell.
Generally, as dementia progressed, the person's sense of smell further declined.
And most interestingly- a decreased sense of smell predicted mild cognitive impairment in people whose mental abilities were intact.

Now, I wouldn't recommend skipping a shower for several days, going to the family Christmas party to see if your loved ones detect your odorous presence, and then recommending a doctor's appointment if they didn't comment on the smell. Using a smell test has, however, been considered by clinicians as a possible additional test to go along with multiple other cognitive assessments in diagnosing dementia.

Further Reading

Rather than the smell test at the holiday gathering, this may be more helpful: Tips on Spotting Early Signs of Dementia at Family Gatherings

Also, here's the full article on the sense of smell and its tie to dementia, includi...

Source: About Alzheimers Disease - December 15, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news