Health
Erectile dysfunction meds like Viagra linked to reduced Alzheimer's risk, study suggests
Erectile dysfunction medication could reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study is suggesting, though some experts cast doubt on the link between the two.
In a study by University College London researchers in the U.K., men who were prescribed phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, otherwise known as erectile dysfunction drugs, were 18% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease years later.
The study, published in the journal Neurology by the American Academy of Neurology, surveyed 269,725 men who had been diagnosed with erectile dysfunction without any memory problems or cognitive deficits.
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Among the respondents, 55% were taking erectile dysfunction medication, including sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), vardenafil and avanafil.
These men were compared to the remaining respondents, who were not prescribed these drugs.
Viagra and Cialis tablets are pictured on a tray at a New York pharmacy on Tuesday, May 18, 2004. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Researchers adjusted the results for factors like age, underlying health conditions, smoking status and co-prescribed medications.
The findings pointed to an 18% Alzheimer’s risk reduction in patients who were prescribed erectile dysfunction drugs after a follow-up period of about five years.
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The strongest association was among men who took these drugs more regularly, the study found.
Erectile dysfunction drugs “act on a cell-signaling messenger that has also been investigated for its links to memory,” according to a UCL press release.
A doctor points at potential evidence of Alzheimer’s disease spotted in a PET scan at Brigham And Women’s Hospital in Boston on March 30, 2023. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File photo)
“These drugs are also able to cross the blood-brain barrier and may affect brain cell activity,” the press release stated.
Animal research has discovered that erectile dysfunction medication has “some neuroprotective benefits,” according to the UCL researchers.
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Lead study author Dr. Ruth Brauer, of the UCL School of Pharmacy, commented in the release on the progression of new Alzheimer’s treatments.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
“This observational study is based on electronic health care records.”
A randomized, controlled trial including both men and women is warranted, Brauer added.
Ozama Ismail, PhD, director of scientific programs at the Alzheimer’s Association, was not involved in the study but commented on the findings in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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“While this study is interesting and adds to a potential association, there is no evidence that these drugs are able to treat Alzheimer’s disease,” he said.
“This observational study is based on electronic health care records and cannot determine if the connection is meaningful without further exploration.”
An Alzheimer’s expert said patients should always consult their doctor before changing medications. (iStock)
Further research and clinical trials are a “necessary step” before considering erectile dysfunction medications as a treatment for Alzheimer’s, Ismail noted.
“Such trials would need to include diverse participants — including women — to conclusively determine if this class of drug can meaningfully treat Alzheimer’s disease,” he said.
An “important limitation” of the study is that Alzheimer’s diagnoses were not determined using “gold standard” testing, the expert said, which would include “imaging biomarkers and/or assessment at autopsy.”
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Ismail warned that patients should not use over-the-counter erectile dysfunction drugs to prevent Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.
“Always consult with your physician before starting or changing your medications,” he advised.
An expert warned that patients should not use over-the-counter erectile dysfunction drugs to prevent Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. (BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Although the study was limited, Ismail said, it highlights a “potential new avenue for drug repurposing.”
He added, “The repurposing of existing, 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.”
Repurposing drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s would require new studies to be conducted over longer periods of time and in older people that “reflect the diversity of individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease,” Ismail said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the UCL researchers for additional comment on the study.
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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Nearsightedness (myopia) is skyrocketing globally, with nearly half of the world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Heavy use of smartphones and other devices is associated with an 80% higher risk of myopia when combined with excessive computer use, but a new study suggests that dim indoor lighting could also be a factor.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the different ways myopia is triggered. In lab settings, it can be induced by blurring vision or using different lenses. Conversely, it can be slowed by something as simple as spending time outdoors, research suggests.
Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball grows too long from front to back, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). This physical elongation causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
The study suggests that myopia isn’t caused by the digital devices themselves, but by the low-light environments where they are typically used. (iStock)
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry identified a potential specific trigger for this growth. When someone looks at a phone or a book up close, the pupil naturally constricts.
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“In bright outdoor light, the pupil constricts to protect the eye while still allowing ample light to reach the retina,” Urusha Maharjan, a SUNY Optometry doctoral student who conducted the study, said in a press release.
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“When people focus on close objects indoors, such as phones, tablets or books, the pupil can also constrict — not because of brightness, but to sharpen the image,” she went on. “In dim lighting, this combination may significantly reduce retinal illumination.”
High-intensity natural light prevents myopia because it provides enough retinal stimulation to override the “stop growing” signal, even when pupils are constricted. (iStock)
The hypothesis suggests that when the retina is deprived of light during extended close-up work, it sends a signal for the eye to grow.
In a dim environment, the narrowed pupil allows so little light through that the retinal activity isn’t strong enough to signal the eye to stop growing, the researchers found.
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In contrast, being outdoors provides light levels much brighter than indoors. This ensures that even when the pupil narrows to focus on a nearby object, the retina still receives a strong signal, maintaining healthy eye development.
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The team noted some limitations of the study, including the small subject group and the inability to directly measure internal lens changes, as the bright backgrounds used to mimic the outdoors made pupils too small for standard equipment.
Researchers believe that increasing indoor brightness during close-up work could be a simple, testable way to slow the global nearsightedness epidemic. (iStock)
“This is not a final answer,” Jose-Manuel Alonso, MD, PhD, SUNY distinguished professor and senior author of the study, said in the release.
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“But the study offers a testable hypothesis that reframes how visual habits, lighting and eye focusing interact.”
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
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