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Millions of men turn to the little blue pill to improve their performance in the bedroom.
But researchers now say Viagra has another benefit: It could reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by a fifth.
Regular users of the erectile dysfunction drug, medically known as sildenafil, were 18 percent less likely to be diagnosed with the memory-robbing disease.
But dramatically reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s is not the only potential benefit of taking the drug, which costs around £5 each.
Research has suggested that it can treat heart conditions, speed recovery from jet lag, and even make the treatment of some cancers more effective.
Research has suggested that Viagra can treat heart conditions, speed recovery from jet lag, and even make the treatment of some cancers more effective.
Reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s
Researchers from University College London examined 269,725 men, average age 59, who had been diagnosed with erectile dysfunction but did not have memory or thinking problems.
The study, published in the journal Neurologyrevealed that 9.7 out of 10,000 men who did not take Viagra or similar erectile dysfunction medications developed Alzheimer’s.
But the rate was only 8.1 per 10,000 among those who did use those pills.
After adjusting for risk factors such as smoking, diet and alcohol consumption, the pills were associated with an 18 percent risk reduction.
The association appeared strongest among men who wrote the most prescriptions, suggesting that more regular use of the medication had the greatest protective effect.
While the study does not conclusively prove that Viagra reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s, researchers believe the results are promising.
Lead author Matthew Adesuyan said: “The results are encouraging and may indicate a new way to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.”
It’s unclear how the drug might protect against Alzheimer’s.
However, researchers noted that Viagra affects a cell signaling messenger thought to be related to memory.
According to the scientists, if the effects are confirmed in further studies, the drug would be expected to have the same effect in women.
Dr. Ruth Brauer, one of the researchers, said: “Although we are making progress with new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease that eliminate amyloid plaques in the brain, we desperately need treatments that can prevent or delay the development of Alzheimer’s disease.” .
“More research is needed to confirm these findings, learn more about the possible benefits and mechanisms of these drugs, and study the optimal dosage.
“A randomized controlled trial with male and female participants is warranted to determine whether these findings would also apply to women.”
Treats pulmonary hypertension.
In addition to treating men with erectile dysfunction, doctors also prescribe sildenafil for pulmonary hypertension under the brand names Revatio and Grandipam.
This condition occurs when the vessels that supply the lungs (the pulmonary arteries) become thick and stiff, meaning they cannot expand enough to allow blood to pass through, triggering high blood pressure.
Reduced blood flow makes it difficult for the right side of the heart to pump blood through the arteries, causing the organ to weaken over time and can lead to heart failure.
Sildenafil works by relaxing the blood vessels in the chest and reducing blood pressure in the lungs, making it easier for the heart to pump blood.
Makes it easier to urinate
In addition to making it easier for men to maintain an erection, Viagra may also address another age-related problem: difficulty urinating.
Around a third of men over 50 suffer from urinary problems and an enlarged prostate is the most common cause.
These may include difficulty starting or stopping urination, a weak urine stream, or difficulty emptying the bladder completely.
Viagra works by temporarily increasing blood flow to the penis and stimulating relaxation of the smooth muscles of the penis.
Dr. Irwin Goldstein, director of San Diego Sexual Medicine and author of studies on Viagra, said this has the side effect of “decreasing the prostate’s grip on the urethra.”
“The higher grip is what causes difficulty urinating,” he said. Health Line.
Reduces jet lag
In addition to being on people’s bedside tables, Viagra should also find its way into the jet set’s suitcases.
This is according to a 2007 study by researchers in Argentina, who found that hamsters recovered from jet lag 50 percent faster when given Viagra.
Scientists altered the times they turned lights on and off in a lab, creating the sensation that the hamsters had jumped time zones.
Some hamsters were given the drug and then monitored for adaptation, which was measured by watching when they began running on exercise wheels.
The results, published in the journal proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggested that the effect was due to Viagra interfering with an enzyme that reduces levels of a compound vital to regulating the circadian cycle (the body’s internal clock).
Therefore, the team suggested that the little blue pill could help people adapt more easily to a new time zone or to working in shifts.
Prevents mountain sickness
Viagra could help climbers breathe better and prevent them from feeling unwell, another study suggested.
Researchers at Justus-Liebig University in Germany tested 14 healthy volunteers, who had their pulmonary artery pressure and oxygen levels recorded in a laboratory.
The same checks were repeated at the Mount Everest base camp, at about 17,000 feet.
Half had been administered sildenafil, while the other half acted as a control group.
Results, published in the magazine. Annals of internal medicine in 2004, show that the drug Decrease in pressure in the blood vessels of the lungs in both laboratory and mountain conditions.
As a result, climbers could better tolerate hypoxia (low oxygen levels, which cause altitude sickness) while climbing the Himalayan peak.
Reduces cancerous tumors
Taking Viagra could make cancer treatment more effective, if separate research from 2022 is to be believed.
Academics at the University of Southampton found that PDE5 inhibitors (the class of erectile dysfunction drugs that includes Viagra, Cialis and Levitra) make esophageal tumors more vulnerable to chemotherapy.
The drugs were found to target cancer-associated fibroblasts (cells that surround tumors and support their growth). growth and help them develop resistance to chemotherapy.
PDE5 inhibitor drugs relax the structure of the fibroblasts, making them flexible, meaning they can no longer help the tumor to thrive and grow.
When scientists tested PDE5-inhibiting drugs on esophageal cancer cells in the lab and in mice, they found that chemotherapy was effective in 75 percent of cases.
By comparison, chemotherapy typically only works in about 20 percent of patients with esophageal cancer.