- New research indicates that a poor sense of smell in older adults is a significant, early warning sign of an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease.
- A long-term study found that individuals with a poor sense of smell had a two-fold higher risk of developing heart disease within the first four years, compared to those with a good sense of smell.
- The link may be explained by the health of blood vessels; atherosclerosis could first damage the delicate nasal blood vessels, impairing smell long before major heart symptoms appear.
- A simple smell test could serve as a valuable, non-invasive tool to identify at-risk individuals for heart disease long before traditional symptoms like chest pain arise.
- The findings advocate for a shift toward preventative health, suggesting that your body sends subtle early warnings and that protecting your health requires addressing environmental and lifestyle factors.
In a finding that links one of the body’s most basic senses to its most vital organ, new research suggests that losing your ability to smell could be an early, powerful warning sign of impending heart disease. A team of epidemiologists from Michigan State University has uncovered a startling correlation, revealing that a poor sense of smell in older adults is associated with a significantly higher risk of developing coronary heart disease, a leading global killer. This discovery, emerging from a long-term study of thousands of Americans, provides a potential new tool for identifying at-risk individuals long before traditional symptoms like chest pain begin to appear.
The study, published in the prestigious journal JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, analyzed the health data of 5,142 older adults with an average age of 75, none of whom had a prior history of heart disease. Researchers assessed each participant’s olfactory function using a simple 12-item smell identification test, categorizing them as having good, moderate, or poor senses of smell. Over the subsequent decade, they meticulously tracked the group for new diagnoses of coronary heart disease.
The results were striking. Compared to those with a good sense of smell, individuals with poor olfaction had a two-fold higher risk of developing coronary heart disease within the first four years of the study. While the strength of this association diminished over longer follow-up periods, the initial link was strong and clear, suggesting that a sudden or significant decline in smell could be a critical, albeit preliminary, red flag.
“Smell is linked to emotion and can influence the brain’s limbic system, which in turn affects stress levels,” said BrightU.AI‘s Enoch. “Since stress has a direct impact on heart rate and blood pressure, a smell can therefore trigger a physiological change in the heart.”
Connecting the dots: From nasal passages to coronary arteries
Coronary heart disease, also known as ischemic heart disease, is a condition where the heart’s blood supply is choked off by a buildup of fatty, waxy plaques—a process called atherosclerosis—inside the coronary arteries. This can lead to debilitating chest pain known as angina, heart attacks and ultimately heart failure. The Michigan State team, led by Dr. Honglei Chen, proposes two potential explanations for the smell-heart connection.
First, the health of the blood vessels themselves may be the common denominator. The delicate blood vessels that supply the nerves in the nose are exceptionally vulnerable. If the cardiovascular system is deteriorating from atherosclerosis, these nasal vessels may be among the first to suffer damage, impairing the sense of smell long before larger arteries near the heart become critically blocked. Second, a diminished sense of smell can negatively impact overall health in ways that contribute to heart disease, including poor nutrition due to altered taste and subsequent weight loss, as well as declines in mental and physical well-being.
This research arrives at a critical juncture in public health. Heart disease remains a formidable killer, and recent trends are alarming. In England, for instance, the heart disease mortality rate has recently hit its highest level in over a decade. Fatalities among adults under 75 have risen for three consecutive years, fueled by underlying epidemics of obesity, diabetes and undiagnosed high blood pressure. In this context, a simple, non-invasive smell test could become a valuable frontline screening tool, helping to identify the estimated millions who live with undiagnosed coronary heart disease, often discovering it only during a catastrophic cardiac event.
The Michigan State study is not an isolated finding. A growing body of evidence underscores that the loss of fundamental senses is a profound indicator of systemic health decline. Separate research from Sweden has linked a poor sense of smell to a nearly 70 percent higher risk of mortality from all causes over time, with dementia being a primary associated risk. Furthermore, a recent U.K. study found that even slight hearing loss is associated with a significantly increased risk of heart failure, suggesting that the psychological stress of sensory deprivation may also play a damaging role in cardiovascular health.
A paradigm shift from treatment to true prevention
Historically, modern medicine has often focused on treating the advanced symptoms of chronic disease—surgically replacing damaged hearts or clearing clogged arteries—rather than addressing the root environmental and lifestyle causes. This new research points toward a more holistic and preventative approach. It suggests that your body may be sending subtle, early-warning signals long before a disease becomes critical. For decades, humans have been inundated by an unprecedented onslaught of environmental chemicals—from formaldehyde in your home and plastics to pesticides in your food and water—which are known to damage cell membranes, disrupt immune function and inflame blood vessels.
The findings from Michigan State serve as a crucial reminder that true health protection requires vigilance not just in the doctor’s office, but in the very air you breathe, the water you drink and the food you eat. It reinforces the urgent need to scrutinize the chemical soup of the modern environment, which insidiously contributes to the vascular damage underlying heart disease, stroke and cancer.
Ultimately, a fading sense of smell is more than an inconvenience; it is a potential sentinel, a biological alarm bell ringing for a heart in distress. While the researchers caution that their findings are preliminary and require further confirmation, they illuminate a promising path forward. By learning to listen to these subtle sensory cues, you can move beyond merely treating heart disease and begin the vital work of preventing it altogether.
Watch and learn how vitamin E helps support heart health.
This video is from the BrightLearn channel on Brighteon.com.
Sources include:
Dailymail.co.uk
JAMAnetwork.com
NYPost.com
BrightU.ai
Brighteon.com
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