{"id":234779,"date":"2019-01-24T10:08:05","date_gmt":"2019-01-24T10:08:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/medical-alert-dogs-could-detect-a-teaspoon-of-sugar-in-two-olympic-sized-swimming-pools\/"},"modified":"2019-01-24T10:08:05","modified_gmt":"2019-01-24T10:08:05","slug":"medical-alert-dogs-could-detect-a-teaspoon-of-sugar-in-two-olympic-sized-swimming-pools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/medical-alert-dogs-could-detect-a-teaspoon-of-sugar-in-two-olympic-sized-swimming-pools\/","title":{"rendered":"Medical alert dogs could detect a TEASPOON of sugar in two Olympic-sized swimming pools"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Medical alert dogs can detect odours as dilute as a TEASPOON of sugar in two Olympic-sized swimming pools<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"mol-bullets-with-font\">\n<li class=\"class\"><strong>The charity Medical Detection Dogs claims the animals are better than sensors<\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"class\"><strong>It says they are our &#8216;best defence&#8217; in early diagnosis of serious illnesses<\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"class\"><strong>Dogs are believed to be able to smell cancer, Parkinson&#8217;s, diabetes and malaria<\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"class\"><strong>They do it by picking up on volatile organic compounds in our skin and breath\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"author-section byline-plain\">By<\/p>\n<p>Sam Blanchard Health Reporter For Mailonline<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"byline-section\"><span class=\"article-timestamp article-timestamp-published\"><br \/>\n  <span class=\"article-timestamp-label\">Published:<\/span><br \/>\n  04:48 EST, 23 January 2019<br \/>\n<\/span><br \/>\n | <span class=\"article-timestamp article-timestamp-updated\"><br \/>\n  <span class=\"article-timestamp-label\">Updated:<\/span><br \/>\n  21:37 EST, 23 January 2019<br \/>\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><!-- ad: https:\/\/mads.dailymail.co.uk\/v4\/us\/health\/none\/article\/other\/para_top.html --><\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Dogs&#8217; sense of smell is so strong a charity claims they are the &#8216;best defence&#8217; in diagnosing serious illnesses early.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">A scientific study found the animals&#8217; noses can be so good they could detect a teaspoon of sugar in five million litres of water \u2013 two Olympic swimming pools.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">And, hitting 96 per accuracy in some tests, experts say dogs can be more accurate than electronic sensors at recognising the smell of molecules released by certain diseases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Cancer, diabetes, Parkinson&#8217;s disease and malaria are among the conditions dogs are said to be able to sniff out, and there could be potential for even more.<\/p>\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-c41a248e24599331\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2019\/01\/23\/09\/8878588-6622613-image-a-1_1548236411299.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Dogs have such a strong sense of smell they could sniff out a teaspoon of sugar in the amount of water contained in two 50m swimming pools, according to researchers (stock image)\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" \/><\/p>\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-c41a248e24599331\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2019\/01\/23\/09\/8878588-6622613-image-a-1_1548236411299.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Dogs have such a strong sense of smell they could sniff out a teaspoon of sugar in the amount of water contained in two 50m swimming pools, according to researchers (stock image)\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Dogs have such a strong sense of smell they could sniff out a teaspoon of sugar in the amount of water contained in two 50m swimming pools, according to researchers (stock image)<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Research published in the scientific journal, Frontiers, found dogs&#8217; sense of smell was so refined it could be measured in parts per trillion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Medical Detection Dogs, the charity which did the research, said the animals have the potential to save lives.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">It said the dogs could identify smells associated with human illness with between 81 and 96 per cent accuracy.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"rotator-panels link-bogr1 linkro-ccox\">\n<li>\n<p>  <span>Toxic and &#8216;cancer-causing&#8217; substances including WEEDKILLER&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p>  <span>Blogger, 24, is left paralysed with a nerve-crippling&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p>  <span>Toddler is overcoming a horrific reaction to steroid creams&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p>  <span>From Kellogg&#8217;s to Quaker&#8217;s and even Weetabix: Revealed, the&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">There have in the past been extraordinary tales of dog owners claiming their pets sniffed out their cancer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">And scientists at the University of Bristol last week revealed trained dogs could tell when diabetic people had dangerously low blood sugar with 83 per cent accuracy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Dogs&#8217; ability to sniff out sickness is believed to be down to their ability to smell molecules released into someone&#8217;s breath, skin or sweat when they are unwell.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">These are called volatile organic compounds and dogs may signal they can smell something by paying an unusual amount of attention to their owner.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;The dog\u2019s ability to detect odours down to parts per trillion is the equivalent to detecting a teaspoon in the volume of water contained in two Olympic size swimming pools,&#8217; said Dr Claire Guest, chief executive of Medical Detection Dogs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;The relevance of this study cannot be clearer: we can and should rely on medical detection dogs to help diagnose disease through associated volatiles at an early stage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Our dogs have already shown the ability to detect cancer, diabetes, Parkinson\u2019s disease and malaria.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;This has the potential to save thousands of lives. The dog is a highly sophisticated bio-sensor with a fluffy coat and waggy tail.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The study was believed to be the first in at least a decade to estimate the limits to dogs&#8217; sense of smell \u2013 the olfactory detection threshold \u2013 in this way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">It involved 10 detection dogs from Medical Detection Dogs \u2013 four females and six males, ranging in age from two\u00a0to 11.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">There were three Labrador Retrievers, three Working Cocker Spaniels, two English Springer Spaniels and two Border Collies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Dogs were asked to single out a target odour among a group of control samples.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">All samples were presented to the dogs in a carousel with eight arms and the dogs sniffed each one. If they identified it correctly, they were given a food reward.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mol-factbox-title\">HOW DO DOGS &#8216;SNIFF OUT CANCER&#8217;?\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Dogs have an extremely sensitive sense of smell and can pick up on &#8216;volatile organic compounds&#8217;, which are released from the early stages of many cancers, including ovarian, lung and colorectal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Scientific studies have shown pooches can separate between blood and tissue samples donated from ovarian cancer patients and healthy people by picking up on minute quantities of VOCs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Studies have also shown dogs can sniff out prostate cancer in a man&#8217;s urine, as well as breast and lung forms of the disease from compounds in a patient&#8217;s breath.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">If a dog detects this on their owner, they may try to alert them by paying them more attention, sniffing them, or &#8216;comforting&#8217; them by gently licking their hands or feet, or laying beside them for no reason.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">If a person notices their dog is regularly acting differently around them, it may be worth looking out for other cancer symptoms, such as pain, fatigue and weight loss.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Experts have said specially-trained dogs could particularly help women with ovarian cancer, which has no screening programme and is usually only diagnosed when advanced.<\/p>\n<p>            <!-- ad: https:\/\/mads.dailymail.co.uk\/v4\/us\/health\/none\/article\/other\/inread_player.html --><\/p>\n<p>        <\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Comments <span class=\"readerCommentsCount\">22<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>\n\t    Share what you think\n          <\/p>\n<ul id=\"rc-tabs\" class=\"js-links dm-tabs cnr5 cleared\">\n<li class=\"dm-tab dm-tab-on bdrgr5 cnr-bdr wogr5 link-wox js-active\">\n        <span class=\"xogr5 tl\"><\/span><br \/>\n        <span class=\"xogr5 tr\"><\/span><br \/>\n        Newest<\/a>\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"dm-tab bdrgr5 ow-igr2-bx cnr-bdr xogr2 link-gr5ox\">\n        <span class=\"xogr5 tl\"><\/span><br \/>\n        <span class=\"xogr5 tr\"><\/span><br \/>\n        Oldest<\/a>\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"dm-tab bdrgr5 ow-igr2-bx cnr-bdr xogr2 link-gr5ox\">\n        <span class=\"xogr5 tl\"><\/span><br \/>\n        <span class=\"xogr5 tr\"><\/span><br \/>\n        Best rated<\/a>\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"dm-tab bdrgr5 ow-igr2-bx cnr-bdr xogr2 link-gr5ox last\">\n        <span class=\"xogr5 tl\"><\/span><br \/>\n        <span class=\"xogr5 tr\"><\/span><br \/>\n        Worst rated<\/a>\n      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The comments below have not been moderated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"bold pad5 wogr5 rc-info\">\n      The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.\n    <\/p>\n<p>  <\/a><\/p>\n<p>      <a id=\"newcomment\" name=\"newcomment\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>              <span>Close<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"modal-title\">Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline?<\/p>\n<p class=\"modal-subtitle\">Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>            <span>Close<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"modal-title\">Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline?<\/p>\n<p class=\"modal-subtitle\">Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual<\/p>\n<p>  We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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