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If something smells fishy to you --well, you're lucky. Being able to discern odors turns out to be an important component of good health, helping you avoid malnutrition, depression and early death!

Unfortunately, lots of folks have lost their ability to discriminate between smells or to smell much at all. Around 60% of folks who have had COVID-19 report that they lost the ability to smell -- and 24% of them say they haven't recovered it. And even without COVID-19, between 62% and 75% of folks over age 80 say they have significant loss of the ability to smell well -- or at all.

A new study in the JAMA journal Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery tested more than 2,500 folks between ages 61 and 81 and found that for each additional incorrect answer they gave in an odor ID test, their risk of dying from any cause over the next six years went up 6% and dementia, frailty and malnutrition were the most common causes.

If you or a loved one is noticing a loss of the ability to smell, get a full-body and neurological function check-up, and start smell retraining therapy. Harvard Medical School says that you want to sniff a wide variety of scents once or twice a day for 30-120 seconds for four weeks. The scents can include lemons or oranges, flowery perfumes, peanut butter, eucalyptus, rosemary, cinnamon, pine, peppermint, and/or cloves. Smell retraining kits are available online. If that doesn't do the trick, consult an otolaryngologist for other treatment options.

Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Check out his latest, "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow," and find out more at www.longevityplaybook.com. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Mike at questions@longevityplaybook.com.

(c)2023 Michael Roizen, M.D.

Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

(c) 2025 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.