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Sildenafil (Viagra) may help reduce Alzheimer’s risk, study suggests

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A blister pack of sildenafil (viagra) tablets for erectile dysfunction
New research is looking at Viagra’s potential to treat Alzheimer’s.
  • Sildenafil, a compound in drugs that treat erectile dysfunction and one type of hypertension, could be used to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease, the results of a new study suggest.
  • Among people who already take sildenafil, the main ingredient in Viagra, the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease was significantly less than in people who did not.
  • At least one expert warned that an observational study such as this may not be telling the whole story, and should be approached with caution.

The compound sildenafil is a main ingredient in Viagra, and it forms the basis of Revatio, a medication for pulmonary arterial hypertension. Now, a new study suggests sildenafil may also help in treating Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers, led by the Cleveland Clinic, observed a 30% to 54% reduction in the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease among people who were taking sildenafil for erectile dysfunction or pulmonary arterial hypertension, compared to those who did not.

The study is published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Sildenafil lowers tau levels in the brain

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association estimatesTrusted Source that about 6.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. It is the fifth-leading cause of death in the U.S., and its prevalence is expected to rise as the population ages.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association between 2000 and 2019, deaths from stroke, heart disease, and HIV decreased, whereas reported deaths from Alzheimer’s increased more than 145%.

Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, getting worse over time, typically beginning with memory loss and ultimately leading to difficulties communicating with others, or responding appropriately to the environment in which one finds themselves.

The authors of the new study utilized computational models to parse the data for millions of patients in two medical databases, MarketScan Medicare Supplemental and Clinformatics. In the MarketScan database, the reduction in Alzheimer’s was 54%. In the Clinformatics database, it was 30%.

After sildenafil was identified as a drug of interest from the analyzed data, further research occurred in the lab. Working with brain cells from Alzheimer’s patients, researchers found that sildenafil lowered levels of neurotoxic tau proteins. Such proteins build up in the brain as Alzheimer’s progresses.

For many years, these tau proteins were coupled with amyloid plaques as likely causes of Alzheimer’s. However, the foundational research on amyloid plaques has been discredited. Even so, neurotoxic tau proteins are still considered to be a crucial aspect of Alzheimer’s.

They also observed that neurons they had exposed to sildenafil promoted improved brain function, cell growth, and also reduced inflammation and metabolic processes associated with the cognitive degeneration that occurs with Alzheimer’s.

PDE 5 inhibitors to treat Alzheimer’s?

Sildenafil, as a treatment for erectile dysfunction, is a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor, or PDE 5 inhibitor.

Dr. Ozama Ismail, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Association director of scientific programs, who was not involved in the new study, noted that there was a recent and large UK study that suggested PDE 5 inhibitors may be able to reduce the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s, but “there is no evidence that these drugs are able to treat Alzheimer’s disease.”

As far as the current study goes, said Dr. Ismail, “This observational study is based on electronic healthcare records and cannot determine if the connection is meaningful without further exploration.”

“Further research and specifically designed clinical trials are a necessary step before considering phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors for Alzheimer’s treatment.

”Such trials would need to include diverse participants — including women — to conclusively determine if this class of drug can meaningfully treat Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Ismail.

He also cited as an “important limitation” of this study that Alzheimer’s was not diagnosed “using ‘gold standard’ testing that included imaging biomarkers and/or assessment at autopsy.”

If sildenafil is helpful for addressing Alzheimer’s, suggested Dr. Neil Paulvin, it may have to do with “activating [the] pakt pathway and increasing blood flow.”

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathwayTrusted Source is key to various cellular processes, and has been implicated in cancer, so understanding its mechanisms better could theoretically provide clues as to what occurs in Alzheimer’s.

Dr. Paulvin was likewise not involved in the study.

Safety concerns about repurposing drugs

The identification of sildenafil is an example of what may be possible with computer searches for valuable molecules. Dr. Paulvin noted such searches have turned up drugs such as “gemfibrozil [for cholesterol control], astaxanthin [an antioxidant], [and] minocycline [for treating bacterial infections].”

“This study highlights a potential new avenue for drug repurposing. Repurposing of existing, already-approved treatments can be a valuable part of drug development because, through already-completed testing, we know much about their safety and side effects. This can sometimes reduce the length and cost of studies needed for the new indication,” Dr. Ismail said.

He noted, however, that Alzheimer’s disease is especially “complex and multifaceted.” As a result,” he noted, “it is likely that combination therapies targeting different mechanisms are needed.”

“When considering repurposing an existing drug as an Alzheimer’s treatment, however, it is often important to conduct new studies over longer periods of time and in older people that reflect the diversity of individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Ismail explained.

He cited the Alzheimer’s Association Part The Cloud initiative that has already invested more than $68 million supporting 65 clinical trials. These trials are aimed at “targeting various known and potential new aspects of the disease, including new and repurposed treatments for Alzheimer’s and other dementia.”

He noted that the endeavor is focusing on different pathways to treatment, such as how immune responses affect Alzheimer’s-related brain changes, the manner in which brain cells utilize energy and fuel, how they remove debris, and how the brain’s blood supply is maintained.

As regards to sildenafil, Dr. Ismail stressed that people should not use such prescription medications or over-the-counter [supplements and products similar to] phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors in hopes of preventing Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia based on these preliminary findings.

“Always consult your physician before starting or changing your medications,” he added.

Does Viagra reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s? Here’s what we know.

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Viagra is best known for triggering erections, but several studies have suggested that the drug may lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. What do we know so far.

Numerous studies have suggested that erectile-dysfunction drugs like Viagra, the famous “blue pill,” may reduce someone’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s. But so far, none have proved that the drugs actually cause that risk reduction. (Image credit: Bloomberg / Contributor via Getty Images)

Drugs taken to treat erectile dysfunction have once again been tied to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease. 

A new study of almost 670,000 men in the U.K., published Feb. 7 in the journal Neurology, revealed that those who take so-called phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE5I) — which include Viagra (generic name sildenafil) — may have a lower risk of developing this common form of dementia than men of the same age who don’t take the drugs. 

This isn’t the first time that drugs like the “little blue pill” have been linked to this reduced dementia risk. Since the late 1990s, rodent studies have suggested that PDE5I drugs could have beneficial effects on cognition, and in 2021, a study published in the journal Nature Aging suggested that taking Viagra was associated with a 69% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s. That 2021 study included more than 7 million people in the U.S. who on average were around 71 years old, 116,000 of whom took Viagra. 

PDE5I drugs like Viagra work by increasing blood flow to the erectile tissues of the penis. They do this by preventing the breakdown of a signaling molecule called cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), which keeps smooth muscles within the penis relaxed. This relaxation allows blood to flow into the erectile tissue — the corpus cavernosum — as its blood vessels dilate upon sexual arousal. When cGMP gets broken down too quickly, the erection can’t be maintained. 

Related: Viagra alternatives? Study of mouse erections hints at new ways to treat erectile dysfunction

While Viagra’s effects on the penis are well understood, it’s unknown how this and similar drugs may influence brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s. However, several potential mechanisms have been proposed. 

Other than influencing erections in the penis, PDE5I drugs dilate blood vessels throughout the body, including in the brain, Dr. Sevil Yasar, an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, told Live Science. Indeed, Viagra was originally developed to treat high blood pressure and chest pain. It’s therefore possible that increased blood flow in the brain may somehow reduce the burden of Alzheimer’s, she said. 

In the 2021 Nature Aging study, Feixiong Cheng, a principal investigator at the Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues found that Viagra boosted the growth of brain cells that had been grown from the stem cells of patients with Alzheimer’s. The drug also turned down the production of proteins associated with the disease — namely, phosphorylated tau, which accumulates in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. 

Increased blood flow to the brain that results from these drugs might therefore help clear these proteins in some way, Cheng told Live Science. 

Another explanation could be that PDE5I drugs strengthen the connections, or synapses, between neurons in the brain, as this process partially relies on cGMP, Atticus Hainsworth, a reader in cerebrovascular disease at St George’s, University of London, told Live Science. The brain stores memories by strengthening synapses, helping linked neurons “talk” to one another. This could explain the link between PDE5I drugs and a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s, which causes memory loss.

In addition, people with high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of experiencing erectile dysfunction and of developing Alzheimer’s, compared with people without either condition. So it could be that erectile-dysfunction drugs are helping to manage these other conditions, rather than directly targeting the causes of Alzheimer’s, Yasar said. 

For now, though, none of these theories has been definitively proved — in fact, it’s still unclear whether PDE5I drugs have any effect on Alzheimer’s risk. 

In 2022, for example, a study in people with pulmonary arterial hypertension — a form of high blood pressure in the lungs that can be treated with PDE5I drugs — found that the medications were not associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s. 

A big issue is that the largest studies to date have been observational, meaning they retroactively compared the rates of disease between different people without accounting for other factors that could affect people’s Alzheimer’s risk. Such studies can’t definitely prove that erectile-dysfunction drugs influence the risk.

Medical illustration of a synapse between two neurons. The neurons are in blue and the synapse between them illuminated in gold against a dark background
Phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors may lower a person’s Alzheimer’s risk by strengthening the connections, or synapses (illustrated here), between neurons in the brain.  (Image credit: ARTUR PLAWGO / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images)

To do so, scientists would need to conduct a gold-standard clinical trial with comparison groups who don’t take the drug but are matched to those who do in other ways, such as age and sex. This would help ensure that other lifestyle factors or medical conditions don’t skew the results. 

For example, “it could be that the people who are still cognitively well enough to have sex and want the drugs are biasing the [study] population,” Hainsworth said. 

A few clinical trials have assessed the potential cognitive effects of PDE5I drugs in humans. However, these have been limited in size; one trial included only 10 people, for instance. Some have tested only the short-term impacts of the treatment — for example, with the cognitive effects of a single dose measured over the course of a day.  

To get closer to proving that erectile-dysfunction drugs can help prevent Alzheimer’s, future trials would need to run for potentially three to five years and include people with clinically confirmed Alzheimer’s diagnoses, Yasar said. This would go beyond relying on, say, insurance claims data, as previous observational studies have done, she said. 

It would also be important to look for telltale markers of Alzheimer’s disease during the trials, using brain imaging to measure changes in a person’s blood flow after they took PDE5I drugs, she added. 

Long-term trials would allow scientists to look out for any long-term side effects of taking erectile-dysfunction drugs. Such side effects could stem from taking a drug that reduces the pressure of blood flowing through your arteries, Francesco Tamagnini, a lecturer in pharmacology at the University of Reading in the U.K., told Live Science. 

On a mechanistic level, the drugs may need to be modified slightly so they are more likely to accumulate in the brain, to achieve the most robust effects, Tamagnini said. 

Future trials could also include women, as well as men, to see if similar cognitive effects are seen in them, Hainsworth said. Currently, Viagra is only approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat erectile dysfunction in men. Several early studies have investigated whether it could be used to treat sexual dysfunction in women, but with conflicting conclusions about effectiveness. 

If these drugs eventually turn out to be an effective guard against Alzheimer’s, they could fuel the fire of research striving to repurpose approved drugs for other uses. This is happening with the diabetes drug metformin, for example, which doctors are trying to repurpose for cancer and heart disease, Tamagnini said. As these drugs are already licensed for use in humans, this could speed up the drug-development process, he said. 

For the little blue pill, though, there’s a long way to go before it would be prescribed as dementia prevention.

Decrease Your Risk of Alzheimer’s With This

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Viagra comes with a risk of serious side effects, including sudden vision loss and hearing loss, heart attack, stroke, irregular heartbeat, melanoma, and death. (Nito/Shutterstock)

Viagra comes with a risk of serious side effects, including sudden vision loss and hearing loss, heart attack, stroke, irregular heartbeat, melanoma, and death.

This product reduced the risk of Alzheimer’s by 69 percent, but it comes along with toxic side effects. Here’s how to get many of the same benefits without the risks, naturally.

Story at a Glance

  • The erectile dysfunction drug Viagra (sildenafil) reduced the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 69 percent in one study.
  • Viagra comes with a risk of serious side effects, including sudden vision loss and hearing loss, heart attack, stroke, irregular heartbeat, melanoma, and death.
  • Viagra works by boosting nitric oxide (NO) in your body; you can boost NO naturally by eating nitrate-rich foods, exercising, and getting sensible sun exposure.
  • High blood pressure may raise your risk of dementia; NO helps reduce blood pressure.
  • Beets also provide powerful benefits for your brain, largely due to their high nitrate content, which your body transforms into NO.

More than 6 million U.S. adults have Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, this number is expected to increase to nearly 13 million. (1) Despite its growing prevalence, there is no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease and conventional treatments are lacking.

So researchers with the Cleveland Clinic analyzed 1,600 approved drugs in the hopes that one of them could be repurposed as an Alzheimer’s treatment. (2) The erectile dysfunction drug Viagra (sildenafil) turned out to be surprisingly effective. Usage reduced the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 69 percent, while increasing neurite growth and reducing levels of toxic tau proteins. (3)

High Blood Pressure’s Alzheimer’s Link

It’s clear to see the importance of NO in maintaining healthy brain function when you connect the dots between other Alzheimer’s risk factors—high blood pressure among them. High blood pressure, especially elevated systolic pressure, may raise your risk of dementia. (4)

One study (5) found an elevated average systolic blood pressure puts you at greater risk for brain lesions and tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease. NO, meanwhile, is beneficial for high blood pressure, which is driven by oxidative stress. Decreased bioavailability of NO is involved in driving oxidative stress. (6)

Molecular Hydrogen Is Neuroprotective, Won’t Suppress NO

Another interesting component of brain health is molecular hydrogen (H2 gas), a potent selective antioxidant. This is important, as many other antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, are not selective, and when taken in excess can be counterproductive.

Hydrogen doesn’t have that downside, which is one of the reasons why it’s one of my favorites. Now, when we talk about molecular hydrogen, we are talking about the gas, the H2 molecule, which is two hydrogen atoms bound together.

The H2 molecule is the smallest in the universe, which allows it to diffuse through all cell membranes, including the blood-brain barrier and subcellular compartments, and into the mitochondria. It doesn’t need any transporter protein—and it’s being explored for its role in Alzheimer’s disease. As noted in Medical Gas Research: (7)

“As a recognized reducing gas, hydrogen has shown great antioxidative stress and anti-inflammatory effect in many cerebral disease models. It can ameliorate neuronal damage, maintain the number of neurons, prolong the lifespan of neurons, and ultimately inhibit disease progression.”

A 2022 study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences also suggested molecular hydrogen was neuroprotective, with promise for Alzheimer’s: (8)

“One potential mechanism explaining some of the general health benefits of using hydrogen is that it may prevent aging-related changes in cellular proteins such as amyloid and tau protein. We also present evidence that, following ischemia, hydrogen improves cognitive and neurological deficits and prevents or delays the onset of neurodegenerative changes in the brain.

“The available evidence suggests that molecular hydrogen has neuroprotective properties and may be a new therapeutic agent in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as neurodegeneration following cerebral ischemia with progressive dementia.”

Importantly, H2 doesn’t suppress beneficial free radicals like nitric oxide, which is why it appears to be one of the safest therapeutic options available. Further, as mentioned, NO is both a free radical and a signaling molecule. As such, it can have either positive or negative effects, depending on its levels and what else is going on in your body. H2 helps regulate and maintain homeostasis, and can also lower excessive NO.

How to Boost Nitric Oxide Naturally

Taking Viagra, which can have toxic side effects, to ramp up your body’s NO production is counterproductive. Fortunately, natural options exist. Eating nitrate-rich foods like beets is one of them. Fermented beets contain even higher nitrate levels. Other vegetables high in nitrates include arugula, butter leaf lettuce, and spring greens. NO production can be further magnified by combining these foods with probiotics. (9)

What’s great about boosting NO is that it also offers other benefits beyond your brain and heart. For instance, NO has a direct antiviral effect on SARS-CoV-2, effectively blocking viral replication in vitro. (10)

High-intensity exercise will also trigger NO production in your body. (11) And, ideally, you’d both eat nitrate-rich veggies and exercise. While it’s important to give your body the raw materials to create NO, after it’s made, it’s stored inside vesicles lining your blood vessels, and it won’t work until you release it. High-intensity exercises are great at releasing it, and I recommend blood flow restriction training (BFR) for this purpose.

The local muscle hypoxia brought on by BFR exercise significantly increases vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which acts like “fertilizer” for your blood vessels. The medical term for this development of new blood vessels is angiogenesis. Angiogenesis, in turn, enhances NO bioavailability.

Getting sensible sun exposure on large portions of your body is also important, as NO is released into your bloodstream when sunlight hits your skin. (12)(13) Ultraviolet A and the near-infrared light spectrum both increase NO, so you’re getting that benefit from both ends of the light spectrum.

As explained in a 2009 paper in the journal Circulation Research, (14) when you expose your body to sunlight, photolabile NO derivates such as nitrite and S-nitroso thiols decompose and form vasoactive NO. (Photolabile means the compounds are altered or undergo chemical changes in response to light).

Considering NO’s important role in brain health and overall health, it makes sense to take steps to optimize your body’s production. All of those mentioned—eating nitrate-rich foods, exercise such as blood flow restriction training and sensible sun exposure—impart a number of additional health benefits to your system, unlike Viagra, which may cause further harm.

A Full Alzheimer’s Treatment Strategy

Regarding Alzheimer’s, keep in mind that a comprehensive prevention and treatment strategy should be used for this complex condition. One of the most comprehensive assessments of Alzheimer’s risk is Dr. Dale Bredesen’s ReCODE protocol, which evaluates 150 factors, including biochemistry, genetics, and historical imaging, known to contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.

In his book “The End of Alzheimer’s: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline,” (15) which describes the complete protocol, you will also find a list of suggested screening tests and the recommended ranges for each test, along with some of Bredesen’s treatment suggestions.

By leveraging 36 healthy lifestyle parameters, Bredesen was able to reverse Alzheimer’s in nine out of 10 patients. For more details, you can download Bredesen’s full-text case paper online, which describes the full program.

Viagra, other ED drugs may lower cardiovascular risk in healthy men

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A new study found that erectile dysfunction drugs are linked to lower cardiovascular risk in healthy men.
Image credit: STUDIO TAURUS/Stocksy.

  • Medications to treat erectile dysfunction that contain phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE-5i) have wider health benefits in men with type 2 diabetes and/ or known heart conditions.
  • PDE-5i drugs include sildenafil, vardenafil, and tadalafil.
  • New research now shows that PDE-5i treatment for erectile dysfunction is linked to a significant reduction in the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events and death in healthy men.

Doctors often treat erectile dysfunction (ED) by prescribing drugs containing phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitorsTrusted Source (PDE-5i), which reduce the amount of phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE-5) in the body.

Lack of PDE-5 increases the amount of cyclic guanosine monosulphate — a molecule that promotes the relaxation of smooth muscles in the artery walls leading to vasodilation, increased blood flow, and improved circulation.

PDE-5i drugs includeTrusted Source:

ED drugs for cardiovascular treatment

Studies on the wider impact of PDE-5i have shown that it has renoprotective (kidney protective) benefits, that it improves endothelial cell function, and reduces age-related mortality in people with type 2 diabetes.

Treatment for ED with PDE-5i after a first heart attack has also been linked to a 33%Trusted Source reduced risk of death and a 40% reduction in hospitalization with heart failure.

Separate studiesTrusted Source in men with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) associated PDE-5i treatment with lower risks of death, heart attack, and heart failure.

Until now the majority of studies have involved men with known heart conditions or type 2 diabetes. Now, new collaborative research between Huntington Medical Research Institutes and the University of California has shown thatPDE-5i may also have cardioprotective effects in healthy men.

The study appears in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Retrospective study

The retrospective observational study lasted for 14 years and included 72,498 men, with a diagnosis of ED, almost 24,000 of whom were receiving treatment with PDE-5i.

Pharmaceutical and medical data taken from the HealthCore Integrated Research Database highlighted men taking PDE-5 inhibitors — sildenafil, vardenafil, tadalafil, and/ or avanafil once during the study period, but not in the first 12 months.

People with previous major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) or who had been prescribed the drugs for pulmonary hypertension were excluded from the study.

Overall mortality risk

The research team found men taking PDE-5i drugs were 13% less likely to suffer a cardiac event, this was linked to a reduction in coronary revascularisation, heart failure, and unstable angina.

Overall mortality was reduced by 25% in men exposed to PDE-5i and the team recorded a 39% lower risk of dying due to cardiovascular-related causes.

Similar reduced major adverse cardiac events (MACE) — cardiovascular-related death, hospitalization for heart attack, coronary revascularization, stroke, heart failure, and unstable angina — and mortality findings occurred in participants without CAD but with known cardiovascular disease risk factors who had been exposed to PDE-5i.

The reduction in MACE, heart attacks, and stroke was greatest in men who took the largest amount of these drugs over the study period, with a 55% reduction in MACE and a 49% reduction in overall mortality observed.

Speaking to Medical News Today, study lead author Dr. Robert A Kloner explained:

“We did find a greater benefit on MACE with higher doses. However, our study was a retrospective study and until a prospective, placebo-controlled study of various doses is performed we cannot recommend doses. In addition, we are not suggesting that PDE-5 inhibitors be used off-label. They should only be used for the treatment of ED or pulmonary hypertension, on label, at the recommended dose levels.”

Dr. Rigved Tadwalkar, a board-certified cardiologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica who was not involved in the study told MNT that prescriptions for ED medications are on the increase.

“ED medications are being increasingly prescribed ” he noted, and “taken as needed, while cardiac therapies are typically taken regularly, so the assumption is that the level of exposure to PDE5 inhibition may not be all that high.”

Subgroup findings and limitations

Men with type 2 diabetes receiving PDE-5i medication also recorded a lower incidence of MACE, as did men diagnosed with CAD but the trend was nonsignificant.

The research team explained this may be due to the small number of participants in the subgroups.

The authors also note that the retrospective nature of the study prevents them from establishing the cause of the link and that the exposure to PDE-5i is estimated from tables dispensed which may not be accurate as tablets may not have been taken or may have also been obtained from another source.

“[F]illing a medication does not necessarily equal taking the medication,” cautioned Dr. Tadwalkar.

He also commented that “[a] large possible confounding variable in this study is whether those who were taking PDE5 inhibitors could also be engaging in increased sexual activity and that the sexual activity itself was lending to the benefit, independent of the effects of the drug.”

The study did not collect information on the participants’ relationship status or levels of sexual satisfaction.

Can women benefit from PDE-5i?

This drug group was originally developedTrusted Source to treat angina, and it was only when men taking the drug for this condition reported it being easier to obtain and maintain an erection as an additional effect, that researchers investigated its role in treating erectile dysfunction.

This study did not look at the effect of the drug on women but PDE-5i is also prescribed to women for pulmonary hypertension. Could PDE-5i have similar cardioprotective potential in women?

“We did not have data on the use of PDE-5 inhibitors in women in our study, so we do not know if there is a cardioprotective effect similar to the one we saw in men with ED,” Dr. Kloner told MNT. “However, we do know that these drugs work for pulmonary hypertension and this includes women.”

“Some physicians also use these drugs to treat Raynaud’s syndrome, which also may work in women. Future studies will need to be done in which women receive placebo versus PDE-5 inhibitors and then the effect on cardiovascular events is determined,” he advised.

Dr. Tadwalkar explained that previous research has highlighted the importance of sex differences in the action of PDE-5i.

“We use PDE5 inhibitors regularly in men and women for a condition called pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH),” he pointed out. “The use of the medication results in a reduction in pulmonary vascular tone, allowing for greater blood flow to the lungs.”

“Although not specifically confirmed, a few studies have suggested that PDE5 inhibitors may be less effective in treating PAH in women compared to men,” he cautioned. “Nonetheless, since we do give these medications to women with this condition, the hope is that it would also work in a general, at-risk population to lower rates of major adverse cardiovascular events.”

What next?

This study shows that PDE-5i is linked to lower rates of cardiovascular events in healthy men, supporting previous studies which have reported cardioprotective benefits in men with type 2 diabetes and known cardiovascular disease. The next step is the completion of randomized controlled clinical trials.

“What is needed now is a large, prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study assessing whether these agents reduce major adverse cardiovascular events, carried out over several years,” commented Dr. Kloner.

The need for “high-quality randomized data” trials was echoed by Dr. Tadwalkar.

“The clinical implications are positive, especially since the effect sizes appear quite large,” he told us. “We have not thought of the routine use of PDE5 inhibitors in this context previously. We may be more inclined to encourage the use of these drugs in our at-risk and cardiovascular patients who decide that they want to take them, granted that no significant contraindications exist.”

However, according to Dr. Kloner, this might not be so simple.

“The problem becomes finding funding for such a study. Since most of these drugs are now generic, there will be less interest from pharmaceutical companies funding this type of study,” he explained.

Nevertheless, he is hopeful that results from these studies might encourage government funding.

“It would be great if the government (NIH) was interested. […] Perhaps some of these more recent retrospective studies that have shown very consistent and positive results will re-awaken interest in funding these drugs for new indications from various sources,” said Dr. Kloner.

Regular Use of Erectile Dysfunction Drugs Associated With Eye Problems.

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A Daily Dose of Viagra Gave Test Subjects a Valuable Health Benefit

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By sustaining erections where limpness once prevailed, Viagra has vastly improved the sex lives of many people. But the little blue pill, it turns out, may be useful outside the bedroom as well. In March, researchers discovered that the popular erectile dysfunction drug can play a potentially life-saving role in another body part — the colon.

The scientists, publishing their findings in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, showed that a small daily dose of Viagra played a role in preventing colon cancer, at least in mice.

Using mice engineered to be predisposed to growing colon polyps — abnormal cell clumps that can sometimes become cancerous — the scientists tested whether a small daily dose of Viagra could prevent the development of colon cancer in the mice. Specifically, they were looking at the effect of sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, on the rate of polyp formation. The daily dose, administered through the drinking water of the mice, reduced polyp formation and colon inflammation by 50 percent.

viagra
When administered to mice in small doses, Viagra reduced the rate of formation for polyps, cell clumps that could become cancerous.

The study built upon previous work suggesting that Viagra inhibits an enzyme in colon cells that boosts cell proliferation. The more that cells multiply, the more opportunities they have to pick up mutations that can lead to cancer, so suppressing cell proliferation. While the researchers don’t know exactly how Viagra is working its magic in these mice just yet, they know that reducing the rate of polyp formation is one promising way to prevent the development of colon cancer (and prevent the painful rectal bleeding that colon polyps cause, whether they’re cancerous or not).

Viagra, for its part, has proven to be useful in solving other medical problems. It’s used to treat premature babies with pulmonary hypertension, a deadly condition in which blood pressure rises in the lungs, and its been shown to help treat prostate cancer when used in tandem with another cancer-fighting drug.

Not that everything went well for Viagra in 2018. An ongoing problem for United States public health experts is the ongoing popularity of vape liquids that contain erectile dysfunction drugs and the danger they pose to users. Not regulated by any medical authority, these widely available vape liquids contain unknown amounts of sildefanil and taladafil (the active ingredient in the erectile dysfunction drug Cialis), which themselves may be counterfeit. One account even claimed it gave a user a two-day erection.

UC Irvine Accidentally Invents a Battery that Lasts Forever

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What do Viagra, popsicles, Corn Flakes, Ivory soap, the kitchen microwave, and champagne have in common? They were all discovered by accident. Add ultra-long-lasting nanowire batteries to that list, thanks to a team of researchers at the University of California Irvine. The average laptop battery is rated anywhere from 300 to 500 charge cycles – completely full to completely empty to completely full again – longer if you don’t use it all up before recharging. The UCI nanobattery endured 200,000 charge cycles over three months “with 94–96% average Coulombic efficiency.” It was effectively still brand new at the end of the experiment.

Let’s go conservative and say the average laptop battery lasts for 1,000 charge cycles, its capacity noticeably diminished after about two years. If that laptop had UCI’s nanobattery it would easily last for 400 years (if 1,000 cycles = two years, 200,000 cycles = 400 years). That’s long enough for that laptop to share a name with, but be far less useful than, an actual brick. If UCI can apply its findings to commercial uses, there’s a revolution coming throughout the electronic landscape.

The advance happened when UCI doctoral candidate Mya Le Thai “was playing around” in the lab and coated a set of gold nanowires in manganese dioxide, then applied a “Plexiglas-like” electrolyte gel. Under normal circumstances, nanowires – highly conductive but thousands of times thinner than a human hair – are useless after no more than 8,000 charge cycles because their fragility causes them to crack during charge and discharge loads. At the end of three months, however, the researchers found the nanowires in Thai’s gel-coated battery still intact. They suspect that the gel “plasticizes the metal oxide in the battery,” imbuing the nanowires with flexibility, which equals longevity. Thai said, “The coated electrode holds its shape much better.” The school published its findings in the American Chemical Society journal Energy Letters.

UC Irvine Battery
We’re a long way from an immortal, practical battery, though. In 2007 scientists at Stanford came up with a nanowire configuration that got a nanobattery through 40,000 charge cycles. The lead researcher said at the time that manufacturing needed “one or two different steps, but… it’s a well understood process.” Nine years later we’re still carrying charging bricks and fighting over public USB ports.

13 Alternatives to Viagra That Won’t Fall Flat

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Viagra is a multi-billion dollar blockbuster drug, but it has serious side effects. Thankfully evidence-based natural alternatives abound…

Erectile dysfunction is no trivial matter. In fact, Dr. Mercola correctly labeled it ‘the canary in the trousers,’ insofar as dysfunction ‘where it counts’ reflects body-wide endothelial dysfunction, a well known precursor to cardiovascular disease.

But putting aside its importance for overall health, the male ego depends in large part on the ability to ‘get it up,’ and when things don’t work out as planned, quite a lot can go wrong as far as intimacy is concerned. It has been said that when sexual issues emerge in a relationship, they take on 90% importance, but when they aren’t an issue, they only figure 10% in the overall success of the relationship.

viagra_natural_alternatives

Men, especially in the 35-45 range, also are faced with what is known as andropause, as the levels of key ‘erotic’ hormones such as testosterone and human growth human start to take a precipitous decline.

The pharmaceutical industry has capitalized heavily on this ‘change of life’ phase, with Viagra taking on a ‘pole position’ for several decades. But these pharmaceuticals have severe, if not sometimes deadly side effects. All the more reason why natural alternatives are in great need today.

So, what does the ‘hard evidence’ itself have to say on the topic of natural alternatives. Take a moment to look at what we have found:

  • L-arginine: #1 on the list is the amino acid l-arginine. A precursor to nitric oxide, this conditionally non-essential amino acid is especially important in times of trauma or stress. What makes is ‘conditionally essential’ is that while the body can normally produce adequate quantities, during times of stress (including burn trauma), the body is unable to produce sufficient quantities, at which time supplementation is of key importance. Also, when the arteries undergo what is called ‘endothelial dysfunction,’ and are incapable of dilating sufficiently, adding additional l-arginine can correct the condition by inducing nitric oxide up-regulation, subsequently increasing blood flow, which can lead to resolution of cardiovascular dysfunction, including erectile dysfunction. We have indexed no less than six clinical studies on l-arginine, either alone or in combination with another nutraceutical, indicating it can contribute to a reversal of erectile dysfunction. You can view the studies here.
  • Pycnogenol: This amazing substance has a wide range of health benefits. In fact, we have indexed over 80 evidence-based health applications here. When it comes to erectile dysfunction, pycnogenol figures as a profound synergist, working to amplify the benefits of l-arginine to the point where two separate clinical studies found the combination highly effective and safe in resolving erectile dysfunction.[1][2]
  • Panax Ginseng: This amazing Asian herb has been used for thousands of years to increase stamina and longevity. There is now a sizable body of scientific evidence supporting its traditional folkoric use, with a 2008 meta-analysis of the extant research on the topic, which looked at 7 randomized clinical trials to ascertain its value in erectile dysfunction, concluding: “Collectively these RCTs provide suggestive evidence for the effectiveness of red ginseng in the treatment of erectile dysfunction.”[3]
  • Maca: this South American tuber, both a food and medicine, and long identified as a means to increasing fertility and libido in both men and woman, was found in a 2009 clinical trial to have a significant effect “…on subjective perception of general and sexual well-being in adult patients with mild ED.”[4]
  • Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia): Like most traditional herbs, Tongkat Ali has had a variety of traditional uses, including as an “antimalarial, aphrodisiac, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and antipyretic [fever-reducer].”[5] As far as its libido enhancing properties, two preclinical trials have found it effective in the animal model at improving sexual performance, confirming its aphrodisiacal properites.[6],[7]
  • Saffron: this sacred spice, highly prized as both a culinary ingredient and medicine, has been studied to have significant effects in reversing erectile dysfunction at doses of 200 mg a day. A 2009 study found: “Saffron showed a positive effect on sexual function with increased number and duration of erectile events seen in patients with ED even only after taking it for ten days.”[8]
  • Yohimbe: This potent herb has been found effective when combined with l-arginine to improve erectile dysfunction. A 2002 study concluded: “oral administration of the L-arginine glutamate 6g and 6 mg yohimbine combination is effective in improving erectile function in patients with mild to moderate ED.”[9] [Warning: Yohimbe and its active ingredient yohimbine is a potent nutraceutical with possible severe side effects such as hypertension. It is advisable to use it only under the guidance of a physician or medical herbalist to avoid possible side effects, especially if already using prescription drugs.]
  • Tribulis: This potent herb has libido enhancing properties for both men and women. We recently featured a study showing it helps women to increase their libido. The preclinical research on male libido is promising, with no less than three studies indicating its benefits for erectile dysfunction.[10][11][12]
  • Green Tea: A highly provocative animal study from 2008 indicates that green tea may address both the origin of erectile dysfunction by diminishing atherosclerotic progression in the corpus cavernosum of the male rat penis, subsequently indicating improvement in both erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular health.[13] This is, in fact, not the first study to show that green tea can correct endothelial dysfunction.[14]
  • Exercise: One of the best ways to improve your body image, self-esteem, and sexual vitality is through exercise. A 2009 study found that physical inactivity contributes to erectile dysfunction – essentially a no-brainer.[15]
  • A Sense of Humor: Living life with a negative attitude, especially when afflicted with a health condition, doesn’t reflect well as far as sexuality is concerned. A remarkable 2008 study found that viewing humorous films in patients with atopic dermatitis leads to short-term improvement of erectile dysfunction.[16] While we don’t know for sure if this study extends to everyone with the condition, it is instructive, perhaps, to look at a degree of levity and light-heartedness as an essential precondition to alleviating some degree of sexual dysfunction. Sex should be fun, right? So lighten up by increasing you humor and joy, whenever possible.
  • AVOID STATIN DRUGS: One of the primary precepts of functional medicine is to avoid the cause of disease, rather than just suppress the symptoms. Statin drugs are well-known to adversely affect the male gonads, as well as reducing both testosterone and libido, leading to the well known consequence of statin-induced erectile dysfunction. Take a look at these 7 clinical studies if you need convincing that this side effect is read.Were statins effective at preventing heart disease, it would be difficult to reject them. But the fact that they are cardiotoxic makes it all the more questionable to continue on them, especially considering the severe quality of life issues they generate, including erectile dysfunction. Please share with your physician our research page on the 300+ adverse effects of statins to come up with a more reasonable approach to cardiovascular disease prevention.
  • AVOID Anti-Depressants: Perhaps surprisingly, antidepressant drugs have been found to be a major cause of sexual dysfunction. A 2006 study found that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), e.g. Prozac, Paxil, are associated with sexual dysfunction in 95.6% of women and 97.9% men.[17] What a misnomer! What could be more depressing than killing your sexual desire with a pharmaceutical Band-Aid?

Ultimately, sexual dysfunction begins in the brain. Nothing can eliminate a dysfunctional relationship or a lack of intimacy that often follows from it. While natural interventions exist – Ginseng, Arginine, Tribulus, etc. – it should be remembered that that erectile dysfunction stems from more than just physiological issues. A lack of desire may reflect a lack of appreciation for one’s own self, body image, or sense of sensuality. Nonetheless, it is good to know that alternatives to pharmaceuticals like Viagra exist, and are evidence-based, safer and time-tested. Moreover, it is important to acknowledge that the ‘canary in the trousers’ often reflects cardiovascular dysfunction body-wide, and the best way to address that is through a radical transformation of the diet, focusing on a grain and dairy-free ancestral diet rich in high nutrient, low carbohydrate vegetables, tubers and fruits and berries, as well as high quality natural fats and protein sources that are consistent with our biological heritage.

Article References

Viagra ‘added to Chinese alcohol

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Viagra pill - file picture
The powdered Viagra was added to a popular spirit, investigators say

Distillers in China added Viagra to thousands of bottles of spirits and told customers it had “health-preserving qualities”, food safety officials say.

More than 5,300 bottles of alcohol were seized by the investigators in the southern city of Liuzhou.

They also found packets of a white powder called Sildenafil, better known as the anti-impotence drug Viagra.

Police in the Guangxi region are now investigating the two distillers.

The Liuzhou Food and Drug Administration said (in Chinese) that the powder was added to three different types of ‘baijiu’ – a strong, clear spirit that is the most popular drink in China.

They said the haul was worth up to 700,000 yuan (£72,000; $113,000).

Doctors recommend that adults requiring prescription should take only one dose of Viagra a day, with a lower dose for those over the age of 65.

China continues to face widespread food safety problems.

In June, police in cities across China seized more than 100,000 tonnes of smuggled meat, some of which was several years old.

The 2008 tainted milk scandal outraged the nation.

Some 300,000 people were affected and at least six babies died after consuming milk adulterated with melamine.

Viagra And Other Erectile Dysfunction Drugs Vary In Effectiveness, Side Effects

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viagra side effects
Viagra is the most effective treatment for erectile dysfunction, but it also has a higher rate of side effects than other options. 

Viagra is known generically as sildenafil. Men concerned about possible side effects of Viagra like headaches, flushing, indigestion and nasal congestion may want to start on Cialis, which is known generically as tadalafil, researchers report in European Urology. If that’s not effective, men in some countries can try Zydena (udenafil).

Many men have trouble getting or keeping an erection, especially as they age, but erectile dysfunction – also known as ED – is not a natural part of aging, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

The new review compares seven common ED therapies, all belonging to a class of medications called phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE5i’s). They work by inhibiting an enzyme that may reduce the potency of an erection.

Viagra, Cialis, Levitra (vardenafil) and Stendra (avanafil) all work this way and are approved for use in the U.S. The additional drugs Zydena, Helleva (lodenafil) and Mvix (mirodenafil) are only approved for use in other countries.

PDE5i’s are considered the first-choice therapy for ED, but they’re only effective for 60 to 80 percent of men who try them, and many will stop taking them, according to Dr. Alexander W. Pastuszak of Baylor College of Medicine’s urology department in Houston, Texas. He was not part of the new study.

Researchers at the University of Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and Maastricht University Medical Center in the Netherlands reviewed 82 studies of the drugs’ effectiveness and 72 studies exploring side effects.

These treatments are all more effective than placebo for treating erectile dysfunction, and are generally safe and well tolerated, the authors note.

A 50- or 100-milligram (mg) dose of Viagra appeared to be the most effective treatment. It performed about 50 percent better than a placebo. Smaller doses were less effective. Stendra, in doses ranging from 50 to 200 mg, was among the least effective – only 20 to 30 percent more effective than a placebo.

The 50-milligram dose of Stendra was associated with the lowest rate of side effects of any medication – 8.5 percent of the time. A 20-mg dose of Levitra had the highest rate of side effects: 25 percent. Higher doses of Viagra and Cialis tended to cause side effects between 21 and 22 percent of the time.

“Viagra has an established efficacy and safety profile and remains an important treatment option for men with erectile dysfunction,” a spokesperson for Pfizer, makers of the drug, told Reuters Health in a statement. “Viagra has been studied for more than 15 years in more than 136 completed and ongoing clinical trials involving more than 23,000 men with ED.”

Side effects depend on which drug is used and what other enzymes the drug is able to inhibit, Pastuszak told Reuters Health by email. One of the main side effects of Viagra is visual changes, whereas Cialis more often causes muscle pain.

More generally, these types of ED drugs can cause a drop in blood pressure, because they are vasodilators, which open blood vessels, he said. He added that they should not be used with nitrate-based heart medications since they can cause a steep drop in blood pressure.

“Other common side effects include facial flushing, congestion, headache, and upset stomach,” Pastuszak said.

“Men complain of side effects, but more often of a lack of complete efficacy,” he said. “The drugs are not for everyone, as they won’t necessarily help a man with severe erectile dysfunction as much as they would someone with mild or moderate ED.”

Urologists will already have an understanding of the effectiveness and side effects of the available ED therapies, so the new results will not be a surprise, he said.

Only Cialis is to be taken daily, the other options are all short-acting, so men have the option of trying several to see which one works well, he said.

Doctors should carefully discuss expectations and treatment effects of the various options with patients before choosing a therapy, the authors write.

Some ED patients may want immediate stronger efficacy at the cost of higher side effects, while others may not.