A study revealed that Viagra, a well-known medication used for erectile dysfunction, is linked to reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease according to recent research.
Men who received the drug had an 18% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s than those who did not receive it.
He Alzheimer’s it’s a neurological disorder which causes the degeneration of brain, affecting the neurons and generating a progressive deterioration in it thinking and behavior of the person, which eventually hinders their ability to live independently. Currently, the World Health Organization It is estimated that approximately more than 60 million people suffer from this disease.
A recent study revealed that a drug, in theory little associated with the disease, could help in the fight against this condition. Its about viagraa well-known prescription drug for erectile dysfunction, which may play a key role in reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Why does Alzheimer’s occur?
Alzheimer’s is characterized by accumulation of toxic forms of the amyloid beta protein, which plays a crucial role in the transmission of information in the brain, especially between neurons. This accumulation causes damage to internal structure of neurons, where the protein tau plays an important role, leading to nerve cell degeneration.
To date, a single factor that directly triggers this disease has not yet been identified. On the other hand, it is believed that it is a series of different factorssuch as age, genetic predisposition, environment, eating habits and general health, which contribute to its development.
Alzheimer’s
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According to specialists, early detection of this neurodegenerative disease is essential to guarantee better treatment and a higher quality of life for the patient. Along these lines, numerous investigations are carried out today and, recently, A study revealed that Viagra, a well-known medication used for erectile dysfunction, is linked to reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease according to recent research.
Viagra belongs to the group of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, which work by relaxing blood vessels and improving blood flow to the penis. Research published in Neurology revealed that these medications are also associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Ruth Brauerprofessor of the University of London Faculty of Pharmacy and lead author of the study, commented: “We didn’t have high expectations and thought that there was surely no direct evidence between these drugs and reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s. But definitely we found a protective effect. “We think these are excellent candidates for (Alzheimer’s) drug repurposing.”
The study: the relationship between Viagra and Alzheimer’s
The study examined the medical records of almost 270,000 men in it United Kingdom diagnosed with erectile dysfunction between 2000 and 2017. The research compared the disease rates Alzheimer’s disease among those who received medications to treat their erectile dysfunction (mainly sildenafil, the generic name for Viagra) and those who did not.
Men who received the drug had an 18% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s than those who did not receive it. The reduction was more pronounced among those who received 20 or more prescriptions during the follow-up period five years.
This is not the first study on the connection between anti-inflammatory drugs. erectile dysfunction and the Alzheimer’s risksince, one that was published in the magazine Nature Agingcarried out by researchers from the Cleveland Clinic of the United Statesraised this new possibility in 2021: sildenafil could be an option for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
