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Diagnosing dementia and that too at an initial stage is turning out to be more frequent as signs from one’s daily life can actually reveal the impending disease.

The previous indicators of Alzheimer's include substantial loss in terms of memory along with adding an irrational and an unusual kind of humor in the list. But currently, based on another latest research, experts have come up with another sign that points towards the progressive behavior of dementia.

Accumulating 1,430 men and women with an average age of 79, experts believed that the sense of smell can be a potent indicator of the looming sickness. Commenced at the Mayo Clinic research Centre in Minnesota, the participants were studied on the basis of their sense of smell. They were exposed to an assorted range of 12 scents including six of foods such as banana and cinnamon, and six non-food items such as petrol, soap and roses.

Some of the participants who were marked as having no clear indications of dementia were thoroughly tracked for a period of over three years. The results presented that 250 individuals marked their entry in the first state of dementia, followed by 64 participants who were clearly diagnosed with the disorder and 54 individuals reaching at Alzheimer's.

The established sniff test claimed that those participants who did poorly on the test are more prone towards having memory problems. In a nutshell, the investigators maintained that individuals with the weakest sense of smell are classified as those who are eventually more vulnerable to dementia as their results were below-par and were unable to identify the respective smells.

Keeping in view the fact that the examiners did not take account of the participant’s brain activity, the solid proof regarding the sense of smell and dementia still remains under question, however, they claim that the link may be enlightened by the damage caused in the brain’s part that controls the smell section as well as the deterioration in the area that controls memory.

Another aspect to note here is that sole sniff test is not the one and only pointer or solid proof leading to dementia, however, it can serve as a worthwhile sign in order to prepare for the upcoming disease. Combined with other brain scans and tests, the sniff test can act as a valuable warning for dementia.

According to Senior Journal, Rosebud O. Roberts the lead behind the research claims “Clinical implications of our findings are that odor identification tests may have use for early detection of persons at risk of cognitive outcomes”.

Undoubtedly, this research does not end here; according to various experts it is a useful breakthrough, but clearly more depth is required for further verification.