ArticleEuropean archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery2025
Age-related decrease of odorant sensitivity for a selection of nine diverse molecules.
Article in European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Reliability, repeatability, and age associations of the dogSIT (dog Smell Interaction Test) battery in untrained companion dogs (Canis lupus familiaris).Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Prevalence and determinants of self-reported halitosis in Saudi Arabia: a nationwide cross-sectional study.Frontiers in oral health · 2026Article
- Anxiety modulates odour-linked brain connectivity and alcohol dependence risk.Brain communications · 2026Article
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3 authors.
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Abstract
purposeThe ability to smell is known to decrease with age. Still, several studies demonstrate that age-related deterioration is not the inevitable fate of each individual but rather depends on "successful aging" and odorant properties. Based on these notions, in the present prospective study, we aimed to investigate odor thresholds in younger and older adults in response to an extended list of various odorants.
methodsIn 58 participants (31% ≥ 50 years old), we assessed thresholds for nine odorants.
resultsGeneral Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) revealed that, independently of the odor context, younger adults had higher odor sensitivity compared to older ones. Furthermore, while molecular weight did not differentiate thresholds of older and younger adults, it impacted odor thresholds regardless of age, with higher sensitivity noted for lightweight molecules.
conclusionIn conclusion, based on the present findings, odor thresholds decrease with age, with a pronounced effect for molecules with higher weight. Previous studies suggest that the decline in olfactory function is more significant for certain molecules. However, the current results indicate that this may be an odorant-specific phenomenon, as we did not observe this behavior in our study, which included a selection of nine diverse molecules.
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