09 March 2024 , 10:00
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Experts say one of the earliest warning signs of dementia could be all down to a change in your smell.
Research suggests that more than 944,000 people are living in the UK with the life-changing condition, and that number is set to increase - so it's vital that research around it continues.
The most common symptoms of dementia include memory loss, the inability to make decisions and difficulty with language - but now scientists have discovered that one of the earliest signs can be noticed in your smell.
According to home care assistant experts at The Key, people who are affected by early stages of dementia could notice they have a loss of smell. While a loss of smell is often linked to Covid, they have urged people not to assume this is the case.
The Key's website stated: "If your loved one has trouble smelling things, such as food that went bad in the fridge or the fact that they have body odour from not bathing, don't assume it may be because they had COVID-19.
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"New research from the National Institute on Aging that followed 364 participants over an average period of about two and a half years found that lower olfactory test scores were associated with a higher chance of developing mild cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimer's and other types of dementia."
This isn't the first time this research has come to light, as back in 2016, published in the journal Annals of Neurology made the same claims. This research also found those who struggled to identify different smells including lemons, menthol and strawberry were at a higher risk of Alzheimer's.
This was backed up by Doctor Isaacson, director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Centre, who explained: "When someone can't distinguish between different smells, it may absolutely be a signal that Alzheimer's disease is brewing.
As well as this, a study by the American Geriatrics Society noted that participants who couldn't recognise four out of five different smells were "twice as likely" to develop dementia in five years, according to The Express.
They further reported that an ear, nose and throat specialist said: "These results show that the sense of smell is closely connected with brain function and health." The specialist then further detailed that a loss of smell could indicate there is "significant damage".