Joy Milne, a retired nurse from Scotland, noticed something odd about her husband, Les, when he was 33. He had started to give off a new smell, which she described as a subtle, musky odor. Twelve years later, at age 45, Les was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, according to the University of Edinburgh.
Years later, Joy went to a Parkinson’s support group and noticed that other people there had the same smell. Her nose would go on to help scientists study the disease in a new way.
Her story points to a bigger idea: our sense of smell may say a lot about our health. Research now links losing your sense of smell to a higher risk of death in older adults.
Can a person smell disease?
Scientists at the University of Edinburgh put Joy’s ability to the test by asking 12 people to wear T-shirts overnight. Six of them had Parkinson’s and six did not, and Joy correctly picked out all six shirts worn by people with the disease.
She also picked one shirt from the group without the disease, and months later that person was diagnosed with Parkinson’s too.
The scientists believed the smell came from a change in sebum, the oily substance on our skin. Researchers at the University of Manchester went on to find a small set of compounds in sebum linked to the disease. They later built an experimental skin swab test that could give results in about three minutes. The test is still being studied and is not yet used by doctors to diagnose patients, but it shows how a smell can point to a real change in the body.
Read More: Gut Bacteria May Have a Bigger Role in Parkinson’s Than Anyone Realized
Can animals sense when someone is dying?
Some people believe they can. One famous case is Oscar, a cat who lived at a nursing home in Providence, Rhode Island, where staff noticed he often curled up next to patients in their last hours. In 2007, Dr. David Dosa wrote about Oscar in the New England Journal of Medicine. By then, Oscar had been present at about 25 deaths, according to McGill University’s Office for Science and Society.
Dosa thought Oscar might be picking up on chemicals given off as the body shuts down, but no one has proven this, and one cat’s habits are not scientific proof.
Dogs have a much better track record, since their noses are far more sensitive than ours. Trained dogs have been studied as a way to sniff out some cancers, as Discover Magazine reported. Cancer cells give off certain chemicals, and dogs can learn to spot them.
Is losing your sense of smell linked to a shorter life?
Studies suggest it is, at least in older adults. A 2026 review in the Journal of Global Health pooled the results of 12 studies and found that older adults with a poor sense of smell had about a 20% higher risk of dying from any cause. The authors noted signs that studies with weaker results may have gone unpublished, and after they adjusted for this, the link was smaller but still there.
A 2025 study in JAMA Otolaryngology followed 2,524 older adults in Sweden for 12 years, after each person took a smell test with 16 common scents. Each wrong answer was linked to a 6% higher risk of death over the next six years.
The strongest link was with deaths from brain diseases such as dementia, which explained about 23% of the link over six years. Frailty and poor nutrition also played a part.
Earlier research found similar results. Harvard Health reported on a study of older adults who took a smell test, and those who scored poorly had a 46% higher risk of dying within 10 years. In another study, University of Chicago researchers found that among the health measures they looked at, only severe liver damage was a stronger sign of death within five years.
Keep in mind that these studies show a link and do not prove that smell loss causes an early death. Instead, smell loss may be an early sign of other health problems that are already starting.
Why would smell be linked to health?
The part of the brain that handles smell is called the olfactory bulb, and it is closely tied to areas that handle memory and emotion. In Parkinson’s, damage often shows up in smell pathways early on, before shaking or stiffness begins.
Around 90% of people with Parkinson’s have some loss of smell, and that loss can start years before they are diagnosed. Smell problems are also common in early Alzheimer’s disease.
Smell loss may also point to wider health issues beyond the brain. One study linked a poor sense of smell in older adults to a higher risk of heart disease.
What should you do if you’re losing your sense of smell?
A smell test can’t replace a full checkup, but it can be a useful clue. If you’ve noticed your sense of smell fading for no clear reason, tell your doctor, especially if you are over 60.
Doctors can use simple tests to check your sense of smell. One option is the Sniffin’ Sticks test, which uses pens filled with common scents. Another is the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test, a scratch-and-sniff booklet, and both tests only take a few minutes.
Smell loss has many causes. Some are minor, like a cold or sinus infection, while others are more serious, like early Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s.
Smell loss after a virus, including COVID-19, often gets better with time, and doctors may suggest “smell training.” This means sniffing four strong scents, such as rose, lemon, eucalyptus and clove, twice a day for at least 12 weeks. A review of the research recommends it for smell loss after a virus.
Your nose may notice a change in your health before you do, so if something seems off, it’s worth a conversation with your doctor.
Editor’s note: Studies link a weaker sense of smell in older adults to a higher risk of dying over the next several years. They don’t show that the body can sense when death is near, and smell loss has many causes. If your sense of smell changes, talk to your doctor.
Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and is for information only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions about your medical condition and/or current medication. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking advice or treatment because of something you have read here.
AI Disclaimer: This article was created with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by a human editor.