This change to your senses increases risk of heart disease

A little good sense can go a long way.

Hearing loss has been repeatedly linked to a higher chance of developing dementia — but loss of another of your five senses could signal dire health issues, too.

New research shows that one noticeable change as you get age could indicate future risk of heart attacks, strokes and heart failure.

A new study of more than 5,000 older adults found that a poor sense of smell is associated with an increased risk of developing heart disease within four years.

There’s a simple explanation for how this sense can forecast future health issues, according to one medical expert.

“The sense of smell… is partially related to blood flow to those areas of the nose,” said Dr. Neil Shah, a non-invasive cardiologist at Northwell Health who wasn’t involved with the original study.

“For those senses to function properly, there needs to be good blood flow and blood supply to those areas, similar to the disease that can affect the coronary arteries or the arteries of the heart.”

Encompassing conditions including heart attack and stroke, heart disease tends to affect older people. But anyone who smokes, deals with high cholesterol or high blood pressure, or engages in other unhealthy lifestyle habits can be at risk.

The doctor advises younger people not to jump to conclusions that their heart’s having trouble if they can’t pick up certain scents, though.

“The other part of this to take into account is [the study] was limited to much older adults,” he said. “There can be quite a bit of overlap with cardiovascular health in general… whether there’s neurological degeneration leading to their loss of smell and cardiovascular health.”

The study does raise more questions, though, about the connection between the loss of odor detection and heart conditions.

“It’s tough with this study to say truly, which is the chicken and the egg,” Shah said. “Was it the cardiovascular disease that came first leading to the smell or is there something else? Is the loss of smell part of a normal aging process or leading to all of those worsening risk factors that can impact cardiovascular outcomes?”

But regardless of the order of appearance, the research, published in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery journal, suggests a simple smell test could be used as an early warning sign to identify older adults who are at higher risk for heart problems.

“Either way, doing further studies is going to be important,” Shah added. “Making sure patients are connecting with their healthcare team for better risk assessments is really the way that this study is going to impact patient care.”

While this study shows the unusual ways certain diseases are connected with how the body works and responds, it shouldn’t be the immediate conclusion.

“I think the important part here is that this is not a definitive association, and so we don’t want people to learn about this study or read about this study and think, ‘I’m losing my sense of smell. I’m on the verge of a heart attack,’” said Shah.