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Nasal spray with insulin counteracts odor loss
A reduced or completely lost odor ability can have different causes. In some cases, odor loss is the result of severe mucosal inflammation due to a cold. Severe neurodegenerative diseases may also be considered. Scientists may now have found a starting point for faster therapy.
Loss of the sense of smell
About five percent of Germans suffer from an anosmia in which those affected no longer smell. After all, about 20 percent of Germans have a weaker sense of smell, medical professionals then speak of hyposmia. The loss of the ability to smell can have different causes. Among other things, trigger can be a severe inflammation of the mucous membranes. Anosmia can also develop in the brain, for example due to traumatic brain injury. In addition, the odor loss may be an indication of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. For example, researchers reported years ago that Parkinson's can be detected in the nose. Sometimes the sense of smell comes back on its own, in some cases surgery helps and in others medication is given. When scientists from Austria and Germany now treated patients, they revealed connections between insulin and brain function. This may be a starting point for faster therapy.
Nasal spray with insulin for the smell? (Image: matthias21 / fotolia.com) Significant improvement of the sense of smell
Lost odor may be positively influenced by the metabolite hormone insulin. As reported by the news agency APA, scientists of the MedUni Vienna (AKH) and experts of the RWTH Aachen have achieved in patients with odor loss with an insulin spray a significant improvement in the sense of smell. The team of researchers led by Veronika Schöpf from the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine in her pilot study, recently published in the journal "Rhinology", drew on recent observations of the relationship between brain function, olfaction and the glucose balance Hormone has made insulin. Accordingly, the use of intranasal insulin in healthy volunteers has been associated, inter alia, with improved memory and reduced food intake. There was also a certain correlation between diseases and insulin resistance in the central nervous system, such as type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, obesity, and reduced odor sensations.
Very small number of study participants
The scientists tried to influence the odor loss in their study. Five patients with such a symptom of infection received an insulin nasal spray (40 international units) and five comparable patients with such symptoms received a placebo. The sense of smell was tested both before and after. The researchers wrote about their findings: "When insulin was used, the patients showed immediate improvement in the sense of smell and in the assessment of the intensity of odors." Furthermore, an improvement in odor recognition was observed in subjects with higher body weight. According to the researchers, the findings shed light on the apparent link between insulin levels in the brain and loss of smelling ability. This could potentially be used to develop faster effective therapies for an acute loss of smelling ability. However, the validity of the study due to the extremely low number of subjects should be considered with caution. (Ad)