As of: March 27, 2024, 10:46 a.m
By: Anna Katharina Kuesters
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Researchers want to better understand the effects of scents.
They were able to show that scents can change gene activity in fruit flies.
Certain scents such as lavender or pine have a calming effect on the body.
This is not your imagination, but scientifically proven.
If you have a small bag of lavender flowers or pine shavings lying near your bed at night within your reach, you can test the effect yourself.
The fact that certain scents can even change the activity of human genes is a new finding from research in the USA.
Fruit flies show clear changes
Lavender scent has a calming effect on the body.
© PheelingsMedia/Imago
The team led by Professor Anandasankar Ray from the
University of California Riverside
first began their experiments with fruit flies.
They exposed the animals to the fragrance diacetyl.
On the one hand, diacetyl is a natural by-product that is produced during the fermentation of food or when brewing beer.
On the other hand, food producers use it to flavor food.
People cannot inhale it in large quantities without being harmed.
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According to Siencedaily,
the fruit flies exposed to the fragrance showed
changes in the activity of their genes after just a few days: their gene expression changed - even in tissue that did not contain odor receptors.
Gene expression means the formation of a gene product encoded by a gene, such as RNA molecules or proteins.
Scientist Ray draws the conclusion that certain scent molecules are able to pass through the cell membrane into the cell nucleus.
This happens even when the source of the scent is some distance away.
With their results, Ray's researchers raise questions such as:
Should we be concerned that certain scents seem to have a major impact on our bodies?
Does this effect of scents also affect predisposition to disease?
Such questions have not yet been answered at this point.
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Human gene expression also responds to scents
In the next step, the researchers tested the scent response of mice and human cancer cells to diacetyl.
There were changes in gene expression in both the mice and the cancer cells.
Scientist Ray's team found that diacetyl as a fragrance can inhibit certain enzymes that also play an important role in cancer and dementia.
According to the researchers, diacetyl is not the only volatile fragrance with this inhibitory effect.
He sees the possibility that such enzyme inhibitors based on odorants could at some point delay memory deficits in certain diseases.
But science is only just beginning in this area, says Ray.
Such enzyme inhibitors are already used in the treatment of cancer, but in medication - not in fragrance form
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Our editorial team is not allowed to answer individual questions about medical conditions.