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It is unclear whether lifestyle modifications, such as dietary changes, should be advocated to prevent olfactory dysfunction. We investigated the association between dietary intakes of fats (saturated, mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and cholesterol) and related food groups (nuts, fish, butter, margarine) with olfactory impairment. There were 1331 and 667 participants (older than 60 years) at baseline and 5-year follow-up, respectively, with complete olfaction and dietary data. Dietary data were collected using a validated semi-quantitative FFQ. Olfaction was measured using the San Diego Odor Identification Test. In a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data, those in the highest v. lowest quartile of n-6 PUFA intake had reduced odds of having any olfactory impairment, multivariable-adjusted OR 0·66 (95 % CI 0·44, 0·97), P for trend = 0·06. Participants in the highest v. lowest quartile of margarine consumption had a 65 % reduced odds of having moderate/severe olfactory impairment (P for trend = 0·02). Participants in the highest quartile compared to the lowest quartile (reference) of nut consumption had a 46 % (P for trend = 0·01) and 58 % (P for trend = 0·001) reduced odds of having any or mild olfactory impairment, respectively. Older adults in the highest v. lowest quartile of fish consumption had 35 % (P for trend = 0·03) and 50 % (P for trend = 0·01) reduced likelihood of having any or mild olfactory impairment, respectively. In longitudinal analyses, a marginally significant association was observed between nut consumption and incidence of any olfactory impairment, highest v. lowest quartile of nut consumption: OR 0·61 (95 % CI 0·37, 1·00). Older adults with the highest consumption of nuts and fish had reduced odds of olfactory impairment, independent of potential confounding variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Population-based data on the relationship between impaired olfaction and risk of mortality among older adults are lacking. We used a representative cohort of adults aged 60 years or older to assess whether olfactory loss is a predictor of mortality, independent of potential confounders., Methods: Olfaction was measured by the San Diego Odor Identification Test (SDOIT) among 1,636 participants enrolled in the Blue Mountains Eye Study (2002-2004). Five-year all-cause mortality was confirmed using the Australian National Death Index., Results: More than one in five participants (21.8%) with olfactory impairment had died over the 5 years compared with less than 10% of participants without olfactory loss. Moderate olfactory loss (SDOIT score ≤3) was associated with a 68% increased risk of all-cause mortality (multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio, 1.68; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-2.56). This association did not persist after further adjustment for cognitive impairment. The association between olfactory loss and all-cause mortality was more marked among older participants (≥70 years) than younger participants (<70 years) with olfactory impairment (multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio, 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-2.15). However, adjusting for cognitive impairment diminished this association., Conclusions: Older adults with moderately impaired olfaction compared with those with normal olfaction had a higher risk of dying 5 years later. The relationship between olfaction and mortality, however, may be largely mediated by cognitive impairment in these older adults. Our findings highlight the value of identifying olfactory loss in the preclinical stage in the older patient before the development of related comorbidities.

Objective: To investigate whether mitochondrial haplogroups are associated with age-related maculopathy (ARM)., Methods: We assessed the association between mitochondrial haplogroups and ARM in a population-based sample of 3509 persons aged 49 years or older residing west of Sydney. Retinal photographs of both eyes were taken (1999-2001) and subsequently graded for ARM following the Wisconsin grading system. Genetic analysis for mitochondrial DNA haplogroups was performed. Associations between these genetic markers and risk factors for ARM were assessed., Results: After adjusting for age, sex, and smoking, haplogroup H was associated with a reduced prevalence of any (early and late) ARM (odds ratio [OR], 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58-0.97), early ARM (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.57-0.98), and large distinct and indistinct soft drusen (OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.56-0.89). Haplogroup J was associated with a higher prevalence of large, soft distinct drusen (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.18-2.73). Haplogroup U was associated with an increased prevalence of retinal pigment abnormalities (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.11-1.91)., Conclusions: Our findings of associations between different haplogroup types and prevalent ARM or ARM lesions suggest that these haplogroups may be genetic markers indicative of an individual's susceptibility to ARM.

Objective: To determine whether variants of the mitochondrial genome influence the risk of developing age-related hearing loss (ARHL)., Design: Cross-sectional study., Setting: Eligible participants were noninstitutionalized permanent residents 49 years or older identified in a door-to-door census of 2 suburban postcode areas, west of Sydney, Australia., Participants: The Blue Mountains Hearing Study (BMHS) was a population-based survey of hearing loss, conducted during 1997 to 1999, among the participants of the Blue Mountains Eye Study cohort., Main Outcome Measures: We defined hearing impairment as the pure-tone average of audiometric hearing thresholds at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz (> 25- but 40- but 60-dB HL [severe hearing loss]) in the better of the 2 ears., Results: Of the 2765 BMHS participants, 912 (33%) were found to have ARHL. After adjusting for other hearing loss risk factors, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups U and K were independently associated with a higher prevalence of ARHL compared with subjects with other haplogroups. Haplogroup U was significantly associated with moderate to severe ARHL (multivariable-adjusted odds ratio, 1.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-2.41). Haplogroup K was associated with severity types of ARHL in persons aged 50 to 59 years (odds ratio, 3.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.30-6.99). There was also a joint effect between mtDNA haplogroups U and K and other known hearing loss risk factors such as diabetes and past noise exposure., Conclusion: Findings from this older Australian population demonstrate an association between certain mtDNA haplogroups and ARHL, as well as a link to the susceptibility of other known risk factors for ARHL.