I don't want to ruin your day or anything, but if you're over the age of 57 and can't smell the following five things; Peppermint, fish, oranges, roses, and leather, there's a good chance you could be dead within five years!

Researchers recently looked at more than 3,000 men and women between the ages of 57 and 85, and asked them to identify those five scents. Then after five years, they counted up how many of the people tested had died. What they found was the majority of the people who had failed to identify those five scents were no longer with us.

39% of the people who failed the test were dead, another 19% who just barely passed the test had died, compared to just 10% of people who passed with flying colors.

The authors of the study aren't exactly sure why so many of the test subjects had passed away, but they think losing your sense of smell might be an early warning sign of other age-related issues around the corner.

If you're between the ages of 57 and 85 it's time to get your hands on some peppermint, fish, oranges, roses, and leather and see how your sniffer is working these days.

If the results aren't so great, you might want to start thinking about knocking off a few items on the old "bucket list."

Source: NY Times/PLOS One/The Guardian

 

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