I was wondering about the the fact that men's sense of smell is frequently not as sharp as that of women -- I believe I read is some research indicating that this is a recognized sex difference (please correct me if this is wrong) -- and what effect that may have on the test. At any rate, my husband cannot smell a thing and it drives me crazy. We frequently argue about whether or not the cats' litterbox needs dumping (we clean it 2-3 times a day but after a week it is toast regardless) and whether our neighbor's cooking smells are creeping through the vents and under the door, among other things (like whether he needs a shower after walking home in the summer -- I always know when he has walked rather than taking a cab). He simply refuses to believe me. He is in his early 60's, has no family history of dementia and remains sharp as a tack so so far so good. Ironically, I'm the one who can smell a cigarette a block away and can't remember anything!
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Both my wife and I lost our sense of smell almost totally and therefore sense of flavor, (not taste, which is entirely taste bud related), after we each had horrendous head colds. The loss was immediate. Anosmia can be a depressing condition, but the loss of other senses might be even worse. Curiously, raspberries still taste like raspberries.
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1. It is an inability to detect the smell, not inability to identify it correctly that may be an early indicator of neurodegenerative disease.
2. Anosmia does have other causes, so not everyone with it is at risk for dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions.
3. In the absence of other symptoms, anosmia is a risk factor that increases the odds. It is not 100% predictive or causative in itself.
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My loss of sense of smell was not caused by a decline in brain function; it was caused by a bungled job of scraping-out polyps. The article did not specify if the loss was due to genetics or non-genetic happenings.
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i can't smell anything! I'm 74 and have and 4 sinus surgeries. And now dementia?
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There is a LOT to this. Believe it.
It's terrifying, but be aware, for yourself and loved ones.
It's terrifying, but be aware, for yourself and loved ones.
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In a previous article, I am able to send to Nicholas Bakalar on its request, I have fully described the cerebellum as sensor of brain ATS with and without dementia. Interestingly, also this Inherited Real Risk, bed-side diagnosed from birth with a common stethoscope, is removed easily by Reconstructing Mitochondrial Quantum Therapy
A few years ago I read that the inability to detect these very same five items was an indicator of the last five years of one's life. Now I'm reading this indicator.
Dementia was not mentioned in the other article. This article says "4.1 percent" of the subjects had dementia. That doesn't seem like a very high percentage or indicator that the findings are true.
Dementia was not mentioned in the other article. This article says "4.1 percent" of the subjects had dementia. That doesn't seem like a very high percentage or indicator that the findings are true.
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What I'm curious about is if the test subjects who ended up diagnosed with dementia could not identify the smell (as in say what it was correctly or use the wrong words to describe it) or if they were not able to smell at all and I'm too cheap to pay to read the original report.
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My husband lost his sense of smell about nine years ago. Turns out that it's a symptom of Parkinson's disease, which he was diagnosed with about seven years ago. So far no dementia, thank goodness.
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Here's a link to the study abstract (which was included in the article): http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.15048/full
For a more comprehensive resource for smell and taste loss go to fifthsense.org.uk There are many causes of smell loss, such as, viruses, sinusitis and traumatic brain injury.
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Makes sense, as Trump seems oblivious to how badly he stinks at being Prez.
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This is so good and so right.
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"Recommend" x 100
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Smell is closely related to the craving for and enjoyment of food. Did the study look into whether the subjects with a poor sense of smell were properly nourished?
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If sensory function is an indication of brain function maybe we can convince Medicare Medicaid to cover eyeglasses and hearing aids.
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I caution people with smelling deficiencies not to panic when they read this report. While I don't doubt the conclusion of the study, my own experience with a smell deficiency showed me that there is more than one cause for it. In 2007 I lost my sense of smell and consulted an ENT doctor, who prescribed a nasal spray that brought it back. Ten years later, the same thing happened, and now I use two different prescription nasal sprays to address the deficiency. Had I been told in 2007 that I was a candidate for dementia, I would have been devastated. Someday I may, indeed, have dementia (there's a family history), but my past smell problems were not related to dementia.
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I once went to visit my grandmother. The smell of decomposition thick at the front door, and I was terrified to go in. Grandma was fine, but couldn't smell that the hamburger she was cooking had gone way off.
She went on to live past her 100th year, sharp and witty 'til the end. No dementia.
Losing the sense of smell should be concerning, of course. But it's not necessarily doom.
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This is not true:
"Those choosing a strict vegan diet — one devoid of all foods from animals — face a greater challenge because the protein in plants is not complete and must be balanced by consuming complementary sources, like beans and grains."
It has been shown not to be true. As a whole foods plant-based vegan going on nine years. I can tell you from the bank of tests I have done at Kaiser each year, that I am healthy and do not have a protein deficiency.
But even if your erroneous statement were true, the idea that it would be difficult to eat beans and grains along with the rest of your vegan meals is preposterous.
I suggest you read some books by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and John Dr. McDougal.
It is sad to see you make it seem that a heathy vegan way of eating is difficult. It isn't.
And of the nine billion land animals killed for food each year in the U.S., 99.999% are raised in terrible, cruel conditions as numerous investigations of the so-called "humane" farms show. There is nothing humane or moral about killing animals who want to live for food in the U.S. where there is an abundance of healthy vegan food available.
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mr. Goldberg . . . your habits are your business, but stay out of mine. this is nonsense. tests or not. man has been eating both a grain and meat based diet for thousands of years. he lives. this is nonsense but your business. every vegan I have encountered had issues, serious issues with many other issues. William Wilson dallas -press club 1981
When I was pregnant 20 years ago, my sense of smell was so acute I could tell what the guy on the opposite subway platform had had for lunch. After I gave birth, my sense of smell began shutting down. Now I can't even smell what I'm cooking unless I stick my entire face in the pot. I've always joked that my smeller is expired, but maybe it's time to take this seriously.
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Interesting. My husband has Alzheimer's, and he has always had a poor sense of smell. Just thought it was a quirky characteristic....
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The controls are messed up.
Age and education are known predictors of dementia.
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And yet there are Ph.D dementia patients.
Before my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's (diagnosed at 62, died at 66), I recall she could NOT smell mothballs (and obviously could not smell them after being diagnosed). She would wear clothing that reeked of mothballs until I told her and she still said she couldn't smell it. In retrospect, that was a big sign she had the illness (probably around age 59 is when that happened).
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Mothballs have been shown in studies to be an elevated cause of dementia. Those things are poison to moths and humans. Use cedar.
The association of one's sense of smell with dementia has been researched for at least 15 years, and continues to be a very interesting finding in the area of dementia studies. From my small sample of one husband who lost his sense of smell a decade before he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, I have found the research particularly interesting and, for my husband, prescient.
Everytime he announced that he couldn't smell something, I worried, since his mother died with dementia. And, ultimately, his mind failed him, and then his heart. I note that the lead author says, 'This is not a simple, single-variable test for the risk of dementia', but it took over four years for us to get a diagnosis of his illness (typical apparently).
Perhaps sense of smell could be introduced as one of the clinical tests for dementia. The quicker it is diagnosed, the easier it would be for spouses to understand what is causing alarming and distressing changes in their partners.
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I wonder if this study looked into zinc status of all participants? If zinc deficiency causes smelling difficulties, could it also be causing gradually developing dementia? (Some medicines also cause zinc deficiency, so could they cause dementia?)
Also, what was the risk for developing dementia among the poor-smell cohort? Did all get it? A tiny percentage get it? When you publish worrying results of a study, it would be nice to put 'em in context. Double the risk is scary if it goes from 20 to 40 percent. Not so scary if it goes from 0.5% risk to 1% risk.
As many have pointed out before, a live link to the actual study would be nice!
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This has been well-known for quite some time among neuropsychologists. I recommend the Canadian Paul Green, PhD, as an expert in this regard for any clinicians who are not yet familiar with his work. Before I retired, I used his methods (The Alberta Smell Test) for years.
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