Viagra Cuts Alzheimer’s Risk By 18%

Research suggests that Viagra unintentionally lowers the risk of men developing Alzheimer’s disease. This finding is seen as encouraging by Alzheimer’s Research UK, as it could lead to repurposing drugs to address Alzheimer’s and related conditions. The study, published in the journal Neurology, involved experts from University College London (UCL) analyzing the medical records of over 269,000 men aged 40 and older, with an average age of 59, who were diagnosed with erectile dysfunction between 2000 and 2017. More than half of the men in the study had been prescribed a type of medication called phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5I), which includes Viagra, Cialis, vardenafil, and avanafil. Over an average follow-up period of 5.1 years, 1,119 of the men were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Statistical analysis by UCL revealed that men taking these drugs were 18% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s compared to those with erectile dysfunction who did not take the drugs. – Alzheimer’s Research UK