February 14, 2024
Michał Parzuchowski/Unsplash
Erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra are linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease in men, according to a new study.
Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs may help reduce Alzheimer's disease in men, a new study shows.
The findings, recently published in Neurology, indicate that men taking erectile dysfunction drugs – such as Viagra and Cialis – had an 18% reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease over men who were not taking them.
Researchers at the University College of London examined the medical records of nearly 300,000 men, with 55% of them prescribed drugs for erectile dysfunction. The average age was 59, and the men prescribed erectile dysfunction drugs did not have memory or thinking issues at the start of the study.
"While we cannot say based on our findings whether the drugs themselves were reducing people's risk of Alzheimer's disease, the results are encouraging and may point to a new way to reduce Alzheimer's risk," said Matthew Adesuyan, one of the study's authors.
Erectile dysfunction drugs originally were developed to treat high blood pressure and angina, chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart.
The Erectile dysfunction drugs used in the study – also known as phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors – are able to cross the blood-brain barrier and may affect brain cell activity. Increased blood flow to the brain may help reduce risk for Alzheimer's disease, according to the researchers.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive disorder that damages and destroys nerve cells in the brain. It gradually affects memory, thinking and behavior.
An estimated 6.7 million people over 65 are living with the disease nationwide, according to the Alzheimer's Association's 2023 report.
Alzheimer's disease has no cure. Efforts to develop new drugs in recent years to treat the disease have shown marginal effect.
Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a treatment for Alzheimer's called lecanemab, which has been shown to have moderate effects in slowing the decline of cognitive and functions in early stages of the disease.
