A recent study concluded that a poor sense of smell may indicate an increased risk for dementia.  Study participants were asked to identify 5 different scents.  The risk for dementia steadily increased with the number of odors they failed to recognize.  People with smelling difficulties had more than twice the likelihood of developing dementia. To read the complete article follow our link.

Poor Sense of Smell May Signal Impending Dementia

By Nicholas Bakalar | New York Times
A poor sense of smell may indicate an increased risk for dementia, a new study has found.

Researchers recruited 2,906 men and women ages 57 to 85, testing their ability to identify five odors — orange, leather, peppermint, rose and fish.

Five years later, 4.1 percent of them had dementia. Of all the factors the researchers measured — age, sex, race, ethnicity, education, other diseases the subjects may have had — only cognitive ability at the start of the study and poorer performance on the “smell test” were associated with an increased risk for dementia. [read entire article]