It’s National Viagra Day & a new study has just found an unexpected side effect of the little blue pill
Neurology. Scientists looked at the health records of 269,725 men in the UK. Aged over 40, the average age was 59. Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.They all had a diagnosis of erectile dysfunction between the years of 2007 and 2017.
Doctors prescribed medication to many of them. This typically included sildenafil (Viagra) or tadalafil (Cialis). Others received advice on lifestyle changes.Five years later, the men were checked to see if they had developed any symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
Of the original number, 1,119 were newly diagnosed with AD. There was a marked difference between those who had regularly been taking ED medication (more than 20 or 50 prescriptions throughout the study), and those who did not take the medication.Men who regularly take Viagra were almost 20% less likely to show any symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
This was more pronounced in men who took it more often. The effect was less apparent for those taking tadalafil or vardenafil (Levitra and Staxyn).These are exciting results for those working in the field.
