Results showed that 78% of participants with accurate identification had normal smelling abilities, 20% with two or three correct identifications had moderate smell loss, and 3.5% struggling to identify any or only one scent exhibited significant loss. After five years, 39% of the deceased adults had shown a significant loss of smell, suggesting a correlation between olfactory dysfunction and mortality.
While the damaged olfactory system itself doesn’t cause death, researchers speculate that a decreased ability to smell may indicate a decline in the body’s ability to rebuild key components, potentially contributing to mortality by other causes. The study suggests that olfactory dysfunction might be a sign of slowed cellular regeneration or the cumulative effects of environmental exposures over the years.
