Losing Your Sense Of Smell May Signal Faster Muscle Decline With Age
Based on: Olfaction and Muscle Strength in Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study.
In adults aged 71 to 82, those who had lost their sense of smell lost grip strength faster over seven years. Men with anosmia also lost more quadriceps strength, though women did not show the same leg muscle effect. The link suggests smell loss may be an early warning sign of neuromuscular aging.
Key Insight
This study suggests a noticeable drop in smell may warrant attention to muscle and strength health.
Original Paper
Liu R, Chen H, Li C, Kucharska-Newton A, Simonsick EM, Yuan Y
Related Studies
Why Losing Muscle With Age May Raise Your Cancer Risk
Healthy muscle releases tiny packets called extracellular vesicles that actually suppress tumor growth. As muscle shrinks with age (sarcopenia), it sends out fewer of these protective packets. In flies and mice, this helped tumors grow more easily. Exercise reactivated the pathway that produces these anti-tumor vesicles.
Regular Exercise Cuts Death Risk Even in Older Adults With Muscle Loss
Older adults with sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) or trouble with daily tasks faced a much higher risk of dying. But those who met the WHO's activity guidelines saw that risk drop sharply. The pattern held across studies in the US, Europe, and China.
Resistance Training Plus Amino Acids Beat Either Alone for Muscle in Older Women
In healthy women aged 65 and older, combining resistance exercise with essential amino acid supplements for 12 weeks increased muscle mass more than doing either one alone. The combo group also showed the biggest improvements in fitness tests and the best shift in muscle-related hormones. Inflammatory markers dropped too, with one key marker only declining in the combined group. Each intervention helped on its own, but pairing them produced clearly stronger results.
Disclaimer: Research summaries are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your health routine.