Early dementia sign you might notice while having breakfast in the morning

It's believed that a staggering 944,000 people in the UK are currently battling dementia, a condition marked by a range of symptoms resulting from brain damage caused by various diseases, including Alzheimer's. This condition often results in memory loss and difficulty with language, deeply affecting the individual, their family, and friends.

While there is no known cure for at present, early diagnosis can help those affected to live as well as possible through medication, treatment, and professional care. Therefore, it's vital to be aware not only of the most common symptoms but also of less obvious ones.

One early and significant sign of , which is the most common form of dementia worldwide, is anosmia (loss of smell) or hyposmia (reduced sense of smell). These symptoms can appear before others do.

And it's something many of us might notice while doing everyday things. For instance, have you burnt the toast at breakfast and you can't smell it? Can you smell the coffee as it's brewing? Can you smell the fresh fruit as you're chopping it to put over your yoghurt?

Research, led by the National Institute of Ageing in the US and published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, found that the decline in sense of smell is connected to the faster buildup of Alzheimer's related pathology seen in brain scans. The study found that people in their 70s who were unable to identify smells from items such as roses, lemons and onions were significantly likely to develop dementia over the next decade than those who recognised the smells.

Willa Brenowitch, the study's lead author and neuroscientist at UCSF, said in a statement: "The olfactory bulb, which is critical for smell, is affected fairly early on in the course of the disease. It's thought that smell may be a preclinical indicator of dementia, while hearing and vision may have more of a role in promoting dementia."

Scientists at the University of Warwick are also working on a groundbreaking smell and taste test which can be used to identify those who have Alzheimer's disease before memory loss kicks in. They are aiming to develop a machine that will create flavours and smells accurately, and participants will be asked to describe them.

However, before this test is developed, the best thing to do is to be aware of any changes to smell and taste. This can for example be done while you or your loved one is eating their morning breakfast or dinner.

According to the , sensory changes such as loss of smell or taste can be caused by many things - from a cold or flu to allergies or sinusitis. However, if your sense of smell does not go back to normal in a few weeks, you should speak to your GP.