Asthma drug may revive lost sense of smell, olfactory joys

Can't smell the roses? Apparently millions of Americans suffer from hyposmia, the loss of the sense of smell. Now researchers say that reviving an old asthma drug may also revive people's olfactory pleasure.

People lose their sense of smell for many reasons, including infections, chronic allergies and head injuries. But for a type of smell loss associated with a decline in proteins that help olfactory receptor cells grow, researchers said they can restore some satisfying sniffing.

To prove it, they took 369 people, of which 314 had smell loss, and treated them with the drug theophylline for two to six months.

The research, conducted by the Taste Smell Clinic in Washington, concluded that 70 percent of the patients taking the drug experienced better smell function.

Patients saw their condition improve as long as they took the drug. But when they stopped, they lost their restored sense of smell. The results of the study were presented last week at the annual meeting of the American Physiology Society.

- John Sullivan

Daily physical activity - of any kind - good for mental health

Researchers at University College London studied the relationship between physical activity and mental health. They used the Scottish Health Surveys of 19,842 men and women and found that 3,200 participants had some psychological distress.

After adjusting for age, sex, marital status, and other factors, the researchers found that any form of daily activity - ranging from housework and gardening to walking and participating in sports - resulted in a lower risk of psychological distress. People who engaged in more intense activities and those who spent more time doing so were found to get a greater benefit.

The researchers said the mental health benefits of physical activity were independent of potentially negative factors such as smoking, obesity and chronic illnesses.

- Josh Goldstein

For men with osteoporosis, testosterone is the treatment

Just as low levels of estrogen are related to the disorder in women, low levels of testosterone are linked to the osteoporosis in men. Testosterone replacement therapy, however, has been associated with cancer and high red blood cell levels. Is it worth the risk?

In one of the first clinical trials involving men over 60 years old, researchers at the internal medicine department of the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston have found that administering testosterone to men with below-normal levels for five months appears to have beneficial effects on bone metabolism.

However, the researchers said that longer studies are required to definitively answer the question of whether testosterone replacement therapy works by protecting bone mass and strength.

- Sandy Bauers

Fetuses benefit when moms get regular aerobic exercise

In a small new study, fetuses whose mothers engaged in regular aerobic exercise had lower heart rates than those of inactive mothers. Just 10 women took part in the research, but the findings were statistically significant.

The heart rates of fetuses exposed to exercise were six to 15 beats per minute lower than the heart rates of those in the control group, said lead author Linda May, an assistant professor of anatomy at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.

The exercising mothers engaged in aerobic activity for at least 30 minutes at a time, three times per week. Heart rates were measured every four weeks starting with the 24th week of pregnancy until delivery.

The findings have yet to be published but were presented in San Diego this month at a meeting of the American Physiological Society. The authors plan further research with a greater number of subjects.

- Tom Avril