02/09/2024

Viagra May Lower the Risk of Alzheimer’s

The study analyzed the health records of nearly 270,000 men

While best known for helping erectile dysfunction, but the latest research suggests Viagra might also lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Viagra belongs to a group of drugs known as phosphodiesterase Type 5 inhibitors, which work by relaxing blood vessels and increasing blood flow in the penis. In a study published in Neurology, researchers found that the drugs were also associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

The study analyzed the health records of nearly 270,000 men in the U.K. who were diagnosed with erectile dysfunction from 2000 to 2017. The researchers compared rates of Alzheimer’s disease among men who had been prescribed drugs to treat their erectile dysfunction (primarily sildenafil, the generic name for Viagra) to those among men who had not been prescribed the drugs. In the U.K., lifestyle changes are the first line of treatment for the condition, and if those are not effective, then doctors prescribe medications. (In 2018, after the participants were enrolled, sildenafil became available without a prescription at pharmacies.)

Please select this link to read the complete article from TIME.