Researchers at the University of Florida have discovered a simple, non-invasive test using peanut butter that could help detect Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in its early stages. The test, which measures how well a person can smell with each nostril, may provide a quick and affordable way to identify the disease before symptoms become severe.
Early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is important because it can help slow down the disease’s effects, improve quality of life, and allow patients to take part in clinical trials for new treatments. Scientists already know that Alzheimer’s affects the brain’s ability to process smells, particularly in areas responsible for detecting odors.
Patients with Alzheimer’s often experience more damage to the left side of the brain than the right. Because of this, researchers suspected that people with Alzheimer’s might have a weaker sense of smell in their left nostril compared to their right.
To test this idea, researchers conducted a simple smell test. They studied 18 people with probable Alzheimer’s, 24 with mild cognitive impairment, 26 with other forms of dementia, and 26 healthy individuals. Each participant was asked to smell peanut butter with one nostril at a time while the other nostril was closed.
The peanut butter was placed at a distance of 30 cm from the nose and moved closer 1 cm at a time until the participant could detect the smell. The researchers then measured how far away the peanut butter was when the person first noticed the scent.
The results showed a clear difference in people with Alzheimer’s. Their left nostrils could only detect the smell at an average distance of 5.1 cm, while their right nostrils detected it at 17.4 cm. This pattern was not found in people with mild cognitive impairment, other types of dementia, or healthy individuals.
These findings suggest that the peanut butter smell test could serve as a useful and inexpensive tool to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.
Because it is quick, non-invasive, and easy to perform, it could be particularly useful in clinics where more advanced tests are not available. However, more research is needed to confirm its effectiveness in larger groups of people.
The study was published in the Journal of Neurological Science and led by Jennifer J. Stamps and her team. Their research offers a promising step toward earlier detection of Alzheimer’s disease using a simple household item—peanut butter.
If you care about Alzheimer’s disease, please read studies that bad lifestyle habits can cause Alzheimer’s disease, and strawberries can be good defence against Alzheimer’s.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that oral cannabis extract may help reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms, and Vitamin E may help prevent Parkinson’s disease.
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