As researchers explore ways to treat Alzheimer’s disease, Viagra reenters the conversation as a possible risk reducer.
The little blue pill men often use to address erectile dysfunction may also reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. A recent study found that Viagra, a drug most commonly known for treating ED, may also reduce men’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by almost 20%.
Alzheimer’s, one of the most common forms of dementia, is a disease that gradually impacts an individual’s memory. The new report, published in the Neurology Journal, explores the health outcomes of 269,795 men suffering from erectile dysfunction and their risks for developing Alzheimer’s disease. According to the United Kingdom research, men taking Viagra prescriptions to address their inability to get and maintain an erection during sex were 18% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s.
“We found evidence that the initiation of PDE5I [phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors, Viagra’s drug class] was associated with a decreased risk of AD compared with nonusers,” the researchers explained.
While the findings show men taking Viagra had a lower risk of developing progressive dementia, experts are still speculating how and why the drug causes these effects.
“It could be that it exerts a therapeutic effect directly affecting neurons (if the drug is able to cross the blood-brain barrier) and/or by increasing blood flow, but both these hypotheses need to be tested,” Dr. Francesco Tamagnini, a neurophysiologist at England’s University of Reading, shared with BBC.
However, the study and other experts such as University of Edinburgh professor Tara Spires-Jones, who is president of the British Neuroscience Association, emphasized the recent study is not conclusive. In fact, it contradicts a 2022 U.S. report in which the National Institutes of Health’s research found Viagra and other ED drugs “may not be suitable candidates for treating dementia.”
However, this would not be the first time Viagra was discovered to treat other diseases. When the medication was initially created, its active ingredients were used to address high blood pressure. Nearly a decade later, the FDA approved the drug to treat erectile dysfunction, per CNN.
“This study warrants further investigation into the pathophysiologic action of PDE5I and neuroprotection,” the Neurology Journal report added, suggesting that women also be studied in the future.
Two-thirds of those with Alzheimer’s in the United States are women, and older Black Americans are about twice as likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or other dementias as their white counterparts. Alzheimer’s is believed to be caused by a “combination of age-related changes in the brain, along with genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors,” and scientists have not found a cure for the memory-targeting disease. So while these findings offer a glimmer of optimism for a future cure, the study’s lead author, Dr. Ruth Brauer, told BBC, “More research is needed to confirm these findings, learn more about the potential benefits and mechanisms of these drugs and look into the optimal dosage.”
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