Scientists at the University of Florida have come up with a clever and simple way to help doctors detect Alzheimer’s disease early—using peanut butter.
This idea might sound strange, but it could become a helpful tool for catching the disease before it gets worse.
The study, led by Jennifer J. Stamps, was published in the Journal of Neurological Science. The goal was to find a low-cost, easy test that doesn’t need any machines.
That’s important because early detection of Alzheimer’s gives patients a better chance to slow the disease and maintain a good quality of life. It also helps researchers study new treatments that might help in the future.
One of the first signs of Alzheimer’s is a change in the ability to smell. The part of the brain that controls smell is called the olfactory cortex, and Alzheimer’s often damages this area early on—especially on the left side of the brain. This can cause one nostril to work differently than the other.
To explore this idea, the researchers used peanut butter. It has a strong smell, and you can find it in almost any home. They tested four groups of people: 18 who might have Alzheimer’s, 24 with mild memory problems, 26 with other types of dementia, and 26 healthy people.
Each person took a simple smell test. First, they closed one nostril and tried to smell peanut butter from a container. The container had 14 grams of peanut butter and was moved one centimeter at a time closer to the open nostril. The researchers wrote down the distance at which the person could first smell it. Then they repeated the test on the other nostril.
The results were surprising. People who might have Alzheimer’s could smell the peanut butter much better with their left nostril than their right. On average, they could smell it at 5.1 cm with their left nostril, but it had to be much closer—17.4 cm—with the right. This big difference wasn’t seen in the other groups.
This suggests that the left side of the brain, which is involved in smell, may be more damaged in people with Alzheimer’s. The peanut butter test could be a quick and low-cost way to detect this.
Since it’s so simple and doesn’t require expensive tools, the peanut butter test could be done in many places—including at regular doctor visits. It could even be used at home, with the right guidance.
This study also shows that our senses—like smell—might help doctors spot brain diseases early. That means better care, better planning, and more hope for people and families affected by Alzheimer’s.
More research is still needed, but this peanut butter test is a creative step forward. It gives hope that in the future, we can find Alzheimer’s earlier and help people live better lives.
If you care about Alzheimer’s disease, please read studies about These places in U.S. have the most cases of Alzheimer’s disease and findings of Scientists confirm the link between COVID-19 and Alzheimer’s disease.
For more about Alzheimer’s disease, please read studies about New Alzheimer’s treatment: anti-inflammatory drug may prevent memory loss and findings of The diabetes drug surprise: a possible shield against Alzheimer’s?
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