A programme of smell screening, awareness campaigns and health policies could improve the mental and physical health of millions – according to research led by the University of East Anglia.

Smell dysfunction is present in more than 130 neurological, somatic and hereditary disorders, with some evidence suggesting a causal role.

But a new paper published today reveals how smell is overlooked as a “Cinderella sense” in public health.

And researchers are calling for a worldwide campaign to put smell health on the map - with screening, education and awareness at its core.

In a new paper published in Clinical Nutrition, “Sarcopenic Diabetes Is an Under-Recognized and Unmet Clinical Priority,” nutrition and diabetes experts are calling attention to a little-known but serious complication of diabetes, the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength, a condition known as sarcopenic diabetes. Moreover, authors warn that the new class of weight loss drugs, like semaglutide, complicates this condition as weight loss with these drugs is caused, in part, by a decrease in muscle mass.