Losing your sense of smell is linked with hundreds of health conditions, a team of international academics have said.
A new study led by the Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences in California has found that inflammation and olfactory loss are associated with 139 medical conditions.
Researchers involved in the trial have revealed that loss of smell could be an early indicator of a range of diseases and should not be seen as a minor inconvenience.
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Senior author Professor Michael Leon said: “The data are particularly interesting because we had previously found that olfactory enrichment can improve the memory of older adults by 226%.
“We now know that pleasant scents can decrease inflammation, potentially pointing to the mechanism by which such scents can improve brain health.”
He added: “This finding could hold key implications for mitigating symptoms and possibly even reducing the onset of certain diseases through therapeutic olfactory stimulation.”
During the study, the research team assessed 139 medical conditions that involve olfactory loss and heightened inflammation.
Known as smell blindness, olfactory loss is the loss of ability to detect one or more smells. It could now serve as a key tool to detect disease onset.
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Professor Leon said: “It was difficult to track down the studies for so many medical conditions. The challenge underscores the importance of these findings in framing olfactory health as integral to overall wellbeing.
“It will be interesting to see if we can ameliorate the symptoms of other medical conditions with olfactory enrichment.”
Professor Leon is currently involved in the development of a new device which aims to deliver olfactory therapy, holding promise to improve health outcomes in the future.
Read the study in the journal Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience.
