It’s often thought that the first signs of Alzheimer’s are solely related to memory: forgetting a name, having a word “on the tip of your tongue,” or becoming disoriented.
But a recent study has revealed a much more subtle—and unexpected—indicator that could be detected simply… while showering!
Yes, you read that right.
🧼 Not recognizing the smell of soap: a sign that shouldn’t be ignored
Imagine you open your usual shower gel, the one whose scent has been familiar to you for years, and suddenly… nothing.
Or perhaps, a vague, hard-to-identify smell.
This detail, which might seem insignificant, can be one of the first signs of cognitive decline, according to Professor Davangere Devanand, a psychiatrist and neurologist at Columbia University (New York).
Why does this happen?
Smell isn’t just about the nose: it’s a brain function closely linked to memory. The areas of the brain that allow us to recognize smells are among the first affected in the initial stages of Alzheimer’s.🔬 A simple but revealing test
In an eight-year study with over 1,000 participants, researchers used a very simple olfactory test:
They simply had to scratch scented samples and identify common smells like soap, smoke, rose, or leather.
