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NEW YORK: People who are unable to smell certain odours as they grow old may be at an increased risk of death, a renowned Indian-American researcher has revealed.
According to Davangere Devanand, director of the division of geriatric psychiatry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, those with a reduced ability to identify certain odours had an increased risk of dying during an average follow-up of four years.
The mortality rate was 45 percent in participants with the lowest scores on a 40-item smell test, compared with 18 percent of participants with the highest scores.
The study included 1,169 medicare beneficiaries who scratched and sniffed individuals odorant strips and chose the best answer from four items listed as multiple-choice.
