This is interesting data, I'm aware of research showing the cascade of metabolic effects that occur simply by chewing (a possible reason to not chew gum) and since there are apparently also connections between the senses i.e. smell, sight & taste, this is totally understandable.
It really comes down to the question of how much of a trade off do you would want to make?
Is life worth living longer without the smell of fresh baked cookies?
Yes, it is (for me anyways). Smell them when you eat them :P Smelling things primes us to want to eat even if we didn't want to before. Evil smell! lol
I try to avoid them as well but will allow myself to occasionally splurge.
It's a pretty well known tactic to have fresh baked cookies sitting in a house when a realtor brings a prospective buyer through. It evokes not just the hunger effect but for some, childhood memories.