Researchers at the University of Florida have come up with a simple and low-cost way to help detect Alzheimer’s disease—by using peanut butter.
This new method could help doctors catch the disease earlier, which may improve the lives of patients and help with treatment plans.
Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that slowly affects memory and thinking. One of the first areas of the brain it affects is the part that processes smells, called the olfactory cortex. This damage usually starts on the left side of the brain, which can lead to a weaker sense of smell in the left nostril.
In the study, led by Jennifer J. Stamps and her team, researchers tested 94 people. These included people with Alzheimer’s, people with mild memory problems, people with other types of dementia, and healthy individuals.
To do the test, the team used a 30-centimeter ruler and a container of peanut butter. Each person was asked to close one nostril while the peanut butter was moved closer and closer, one centimeter at a time, during each breath out.
The researchers measured how close the container had to be before the person could smell it. Then they did the same with the other nostril.
The results were surprising. People with Alzheimer’s disease could smell the peanut butter at an average distance of only 5.1 centimeters with their left nostril, but 17.4 centimeters with their right. This big difference between the two sides was not seen in people without Alzheimer’s or in those with other brain conditions.
This shows that the test might help doctors tell if someone has Alzheimer’s. Because the test is quick, easy, and cheap, it could be very useful in doctor’s offices. It doesn’t need fancy machines or special tools.
Finding Alzheimer’s early is important. The earlier doctors know someone has the disease, the sooner they can offer help, treatments, and support to improve quality of life. This test could also be helpful in research studies and clinical trials looking for new treatments.
However, the researchers say the peanut butter test should not be the only method used to diagnose Alzheimer’s. It works best when combined with other tests and evaluations. Still, it could become a helpful part of the diagnosis process.
The study was published in the Journal of Neurological Sciences. It’s an exciting example of how a simple test using a common household item could play a big role in detecting a serious disease like Alzheimer’s.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about vitamin D deficiency linked to Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, and higher magnesium intake could help benefit brain health.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about antioxidants that could help reduce dementia risk, and coconut oil could help improve cognitive function in Alzheimer’s.
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