Loss of smell has long been considered a risk factor for dementia.

The authors of the new study further upset the owners of a weak scent: loss of smell significantly increases the likelihood of premature death.

The results of the scientific work published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggest an important and poorly understood role for smell in various aspects of elderly health.

Apparently, a bad scent - a peculiar litmus test of violations in the nervous and other systems.

"The sense of smell is associated with the physical health of people of all ages, and we consider it an important indicator of the state of the brain," explains project manager Jonas Olofsson of the Stockholm University in Sweden.

The sense of smell is a mirror of the health of nerve cells?.

Dr. Olofsson's project involved more than 1770 Swedish citizens aged 40 to 90 who were regularly examined for 10 years. Checking the scent provided for the determination of sensitivity to 13 "home" smells.

To avoid mistakes, scientists took into account such important factors as age, sex, education, the presence of chronic diseases in each participant. Even after this, the connection between a weak scent and high mortality remained obvious.

Before the end of the study, 411 participants died, which is 23%. The probability of death among those who did not pass the test in the beginning was 19% higher. Dementia can not in itself explain such a serious difference - there are other causes.

"We assume that the loss of a scent is associated with a decrease in the regeneration of nerve cells in recent decades of life. As a sign of cellular aging, a weak sense of smell can also serve as a harbinger of early death, "says Olofsson.

But these are only guesses. The connection between smell and death is covered in mystery.

In the future, Swedish scientists intend to build on the reverse. Dr. Olofsson's team is going to train a scent in the elderly, and see if it will lead to an increase in their longevity or cognitive abilities.

The pages of another foreign journal Scientific Reports recently reported on the relationship between smell and social life of people.

A study involving 3000 elderly Americans showed that the loss of a scent is often accompanied by social isolation.

"Over the years, the circle of older people's contacts is narrowing. Now we understand that the reason can be not only the withdrawal of friends from life and a reduction in the range of interests, but also cellular changes in the brain. The sense of smell is just an indicator, "commented the authors..

medbe. en.

Keywords:.