Lost Sense of Smell Is a Strong Predictor of Death Within 5 Years

HughPickens.com writes: Mo Costandi reports at The Guardian that a new study shows losing one's sense of smell strongly predicts death within five years , suggesting that smell may serve as a bellwether for the overall state of the body, or as a marker for exposure to environmental toxins. " Olfactory dysfunction was an independent risk factor for death , stronger than several common causes of death, such as heart failure, lung disease and cancer," the researchers concluded, "indicating that this evolutionarily ancient special sense may signal a key mechanism that affects human longevity."

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