I’ve never really been one to fuss over food. Honestly, I don’t spend time wondering ‘What should I eat today?’ Unlike some folks who get grumpy if they eat something bland when they’re hungry, I’m totally fine just filling the void with whatever. I remember being surprised when someone asked, ‘Doesn’t everyone have a few favorite restaurants in mind?’ (Really, is that true?) I don’t even know the names of many dishes.
People often ask me, ‘Can’t you taste things properly?’ But that’s not it. In fact, I might even be better at distinguishing flavors than most. I just don’t express it. 😏
People with dull taste buds often have issues with their sense of smell because taste is closely linked to scent. While the tongue can recognize only a handful of flavors, the nose can distinguish over ten thousand different smells. Together, they create the intricate flavors we experience. As we age, both our smell and taste decline, meaning that older folks often need much stronger flavors—10 times saltier or 3 times sweeter—to truly taste them. 👃💭
Not too long ago, I came across a study by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology where three beagles detected lung cancer from human blood samples with 97% accuracy. These cancer-detecting dogs, known as ‘Cancer Sniffing Dogs,’ owe their abilities to having about 10,000 times more scent receptors than humans, according to Heather Junqueira from BioScentDx. I’m super curious about what exactly they smell, but online research shows this isn’t the first attempt. Back in 2011, a similar experiment in Germany used dogs to detect cancer patients, and around the same time, Japan tested colon cancer with this method. The accuracy for colon cancer detection was reportedly 92%, but since then, there hasn’t been much news, making it hard to fully trust these findings. 🐶🔍
Anyway, if the research progresses well, we might see ‘Cancer Sniffing Dogs’ as part of health check-ups in the future. However, no matter how accurate they are, the idea of a massive dog biting my arm and sniffing for blood is a bit terrifying. 😬
After the diagnosis, it seems you don’t have to worry about cancer. However, during the check-up, there was sepsis… Sorry. Woof woof~
I think I’d rather skip the ‘Cancer Sniffing Dog’ appointment.
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