Contents:
- Medical Video: The 16 Most Common KETO Side-Effects & Remedies
- Why can someone lose the sense of smell?
- The link between decreasing olfactory sensory function and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's
- Why is that?
Medical Video: The 16 Most Common KETO Side-Effects & Remedies
In good health, the human nose can smell up to about one trillion different types of aroma. However, there are also people who can't smell anything or can only smell certain types of smells. According to a recent study, the reduced ability of the nose to smell can increase the risk of brain cognitive disorders, such as the risk of dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
Why can someone lose the sense of smell?
The loss of the sense of smell is fully known as anosmia. To understand how anosmia can occur, you must first know how the nose can smell. The things around you will release certain molecules which are then captured by nerve cells in the nose. The nerve cell then sends a special signal to the brain. It is the brain that will recognize the smells that you smell.
Any interference that occurs in the olfactory process will cause anosmia. The trigger can be various. Starting from allergies, sinusitis infections, nose or head injuries, aging, to disability or certain chronic diseases.
The link between decreasing olfactory sensory function and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's
A long-term study from the United States found a link between decreased nasal function to smell the scent around the increased risk of dementia, after observing as many as 3,000 elderly people aged 57-85 years.
The researcher used a special tool shaped like a pen that had been smeared with different smells. Everyone is asked to kiss the tool, and then explain the smell one by one.
There are five odors that are used as experimental ingredients, namely peppermint, fish, oranges, roses, and skin ingredients (leather) The results of the study showed 18.7 percent of people experienced hyposmia, aka a decrease in the ability to smell, because only managed to guess 2-3 types of smell. As many as 4.2 percent of participants are known to belong to the anosmia group, who can only know one aroma from the five available choices or even can not distinguish at all.
Five years after the test, the group of participants who had difficulty distinguishing at least 4 of the 5 smells was reported to have more than doubled their risk of dementia. As many as 80 percent of participants who can only identify one or two of the five smells have been diagnosed with dementia. Almost all participants who were completely unable to distinguish one odor were diagnosed with dementia.
Another study in the Annals of Neurology journal in 2008 revealed that adults who could not smell more vulnerable to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease in old age.
Why is that?
Your sense of smell is regulated by olfactory nerve cells located in the central nervous system. These cells should be able to renew themselves (regeneration) continuously. If you can't kiss, your cells can't regenerate anymore. This means that there is serious damage in the nervous system and cells of your brain.
A decrease in the ability to smell often becomes an early sign of Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's, and can worsen with age and the development of the disease. Dementia is a development of Alzheimer's disease, which is characterized by damage to the nervous system due to the death of brain cells, causing memory loss and decreased thinking.
So it can be concluded that losing the sense of smell is not a health problem that can be underestimated. If you begin to find it hard to recognize or smell, there's nothing wrong with checking your doctor right away.
