(STUDY FINDS) – Can smelling things be good for your health? Researchers from the University of California-Riverside have made a fascinating discovery: inhaling certain scents could potentially delay the onset of cancer, inflammation, and neurodegenerative diseases. This futuristic technology, once thought to belong to the realm of science fiction, is now a step closer to reality.
The research, centered around the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and later extended to mice and human cells, found that exposure to diacetyl – a compound commonly released by yeast – resulted in significant changes in gene expression. Diacetyl, known for its use in food and beverage flavorings and occurring naturally in various dairy products, showed a profound ability to alter genetic activity without direct consumption by the organism.
“That exposure to an odorant can directly alter expression of genes, even in tissues that have no odorant receptors, came as a complete surprise,” says study author Anandasankar Ray, a professor of molecular, cell and systems biology at the University of California-Riverside, in a university release. “These molecules are able to get to the cell nucleus through the cell membrane.”
