Doctors may one day use peanut butter to help detect Alzheimer’s disease, thanks to a creative and low-cost idea from scientists at the University of Florida.
In a small but interesting study, researchers found that people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s may lose their sense of smell in a special way—more on one side of the nose than the other.
This discovery could lead to a simple test that gives doctors a new tool to catch the disease sooner.
The research team, led by Jennifer J. Stamps, shared their findings in the Journal of Neurological Science. They were looking for an easy, non-invasive way to spot Alzheimer’s early. Early detection is very important because it allows people to get help sooner.
Treatments can be started earlier, which may help slow the disease and improve a person’s daily life. It also gives patients and families more time to plan for the future.
One of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s is changes in the sense of smell. This is because the part of the brain responsible for smelling—called the olfactory cortex—is one of the first areas to be damaged by Alzheimer’s.
Scientists have also learned that this damage often happens more on the left side of the brain than the right. That gave the research team an idea: if the brain is damaged more on one side, maybe people with Alzheimer’s would be able to smell better with one nostril than the other.
To test this, the researchers used peanut butter, a food with a strong smell that most people recognize. They created a very simple test. Each person in the study closed one nostril and tried to smell a small amount of peanut butter as it was slowly moved closer to their nose.
The researchers used a ruler to measure how close the container had to be before the person could smell it. Then they did the same test with the other nostril.
They tested four different groups of people. One group included 18 people who were suspected to have Alzheimer’s. Another group had 24 people with mild memory problems but not Alzheimer’s. A third group had 26 people with other forms of dementia. The fourth group included 26 people who were healthy.
The results showed a clear difference in the group with possible Alzheimer’s. These people could smell the peanut butter much better with their left nostril than their right. On average, the left nostril detected the smell at 5.1 centimeters, while the right nostril only detected it at 17.4 centimeters. This difference wasn’t seen in the other groups.
This finding suggests that people with Alzheimer’s may have more damage on the left side of their brain that affects smell. The peanut butter test could be a fast, cheap, and simple way to check for early signs of Alzheimer’s.
Because it’s so easy to do, the test could be used in many places, like clinics, nursing homes, or even at home with proper instructions. It may help doctors decide if more testing is needed.
Although this test won’t replace brain scans or memory tests, it shows how the senses—like smell—can give clues about brain health. This new idea could help researchers find better ways to catch Alzheimer’s early and treat it more effectively.
More studies will be needed to confirm these findings. But for now, a spoonful of peanut butter might one day help families find answers faster.
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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