Study: Viagra, other ED drugs may lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease

A new study suggests that men who take drugs for erectile dysfunction may reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s disease, The BBC reported.

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According to the study of the prescriptions of more than 260,000 men, those taking the drugs were 18% less likely to develop the dementia-causing condition. The more drugs taken by the men, the better result.

However, researchers say more research is needed to prove that erectile dysfunction drugs – like Viagra – are causing the effect.

In the new study, published in Neurology, researchers from University College London looked at prescription records of thousands of men with erectile dysfunction, comparing those who had been given the drugs with those who hadn’t.

During a five year period, they found 8.1 cases of Alzheimer’s per 10,000 people in the group prescribed the drugs, and 9.7 cases in the group not taking them.

During the study, 1,119 people developed Alzheimer’s disease.

“Although we’re making progress with the new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease that work to clear amyloid plaques in the brain for people with early stages of the disease, we desperately need treatments that can prevent or delay the development of Alzheimer’s disease,” according to Dr. Ruth Brauer, lead author of the study.

“These results are encouraging and warrant further research.”

The researchers stressed their study doesn’t show that the drugs themselves were reducing people’s risk of Alzheimer’s, but could point to a new way to look at what may help curb or stop the disease.

“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,” Brauer said.

Women were not included in this study.

“This study does not conclusively prove that erectile dysfunction drugs reduce Alzheimer’s risk but provide good evidence that this type of drug is worth further study in future,” Professor Tara Spires-Jones, from the University of Edinburgh, and president of the British Neuroscience Association, told the BBC.

Two new Alzheimer’s drugs have shown promise at slowing the pace of the disease in its earliest stages. The drugs target amyloid which builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, the BBC reported.

Many drugs used for erectile dysfunction were originally developed for other conditions. Viagra was designed to treat high blood pressure and angina.

Erectile dysfunction medication – PDE5 inhibitors – works by relaxing veins and arteries, allowing blood to flow more freely, The Guardian explained. Studies in animals show that blood flow in the brain is improved by the drugs, which may help protect against Alzheimer’s.

PDE5 inhibitors have been shown to raise levels of a compound called cGMP, which may also help to protect brain cells, according to The Guardian.

An estimated 55 million people live with dementia around the world, most of which is due to Alzheimer’s.

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