Poor sense of smell ‘linked to higher risk of premature death’

People with a poor sense of smell may be more likely to die prematurely, according to a new study.

Published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, the research analysed data from 1,774 adults aged between 40 to 90 years, who were followed for a period of around a decade. Of these, 411 individuals – or 23 percent – died during the assessed period.

After controlling for potentially influential demographic, health-related and cognitive factors, it was shown that for each odour the participants were able to correctly identify, their risk of mortality fell by eight percent.

By contrast, individuals who experienced complete olfactory loss were at a 19 percent higher risk of death compared to those with normal smell function. This adds to the body of evidence suggesting that olfactory assessments might provide insights on the ageing brain.

Dr Jonas Olofsson, senior author of the study at Stockholm University, said: "In our future research, we will try to pinpoint the biological processes that can explain this phenomenon."

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