Smell linked to Parkinson's cisease

Researchers from Hawaii studied more than 2200 men who took an odor identification test by smelling scents such as lemon, natural gas and soap. The people who performed worst on the test were five times more likely to develop Parkinson's.

Also, participants' sense of smell seemed to disappear as much as four years before the more common signs of Parkinson's such as tremors.

Other research has shown a connection between sense of smell and Alzheimer's Disease. Loss of this sense is thought to be an early warning sign of brain cell deterioration.

More information on the Parkinson's study can be found in the journal Annals of Neurology.

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