B1 – Intermediate
All of our five senses are crucial to how our bodies receive sensory information. In particular, our sense of smell is important to be able to taste and for us to identify good foods, hazards, and pheromones.
According to some studies, the olfactory senses are also essential in knowing if your health is compromised.
According to a study carried out at the University of Chicago, a weakened sense of smell may be a predictor of death. In the study, researchers tested the sense of smell of 3,000 people between the ages of 57 and 85. Participants had to identify five different smells: rose, peppermint, leather, orange, or fish in a multiple-choice test.
When the researchers checked back on the participants five years later they discovered something very surprising; nearly 40 percent of those who had received a low rating on the smell test had died. That figure was four times higher than the death rate for those with a healthy sense of smell. And only 19 percent of those with a moderate sense of smell had died in the same five-year period.
The researches stressed that the loss of the sense of smell is probably just an indicator of declining health–not a cause. On the other hand, they said that such smell tests could be a cheap and easy way to check the overall health of elderly people and even young people too.
Discussion Questions:
- What was your reaction to the results of this study?
- How good or bad is your sense of smell? Why do you think that is?
- Do you think it is important to have regular medical checks? Explain your thoughts.
- What medical tests do you take to check your overall health and how often do you have them?
- What are other common indicators of declining health of people?
- Are you conscious about your health? Why or why not?