Research in the United States has found that Viagra can be used to treat Alzheimer’s. Viagra itself is known as a drug to help overcome impotence or erection problems, in men. The active ingredient in Viagra, called sildenafil, has had multiple effects on the patient’s memory.
Viagra Good for Memory
Lead researcher at the Cleveland Clinic Feixiong Cheng said that if sidenafil showed cognitive and memory improvements in a preclinical model, it would be the best candidate for Alzheimer’s drug,” he said.
The study was conducted on at least 1,600 drugs that have been registered with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as a good drug to treat Alzheimer’s.
Researchers then used data from more than 7 million people to examine the relationship between sildenafil or Viagra with Alzheimer’s, by comparing those who took Viagra and those who did not.
The result, among Viagra users, 69 percent less likely to be exposed to senile dementia, after 7 years.
Further research is obtained if Viagra can increase the growth of brain cells and special proteins, and provide information about the possible influence on diseases that affect memory. The findings have been published in the journal Nature Aging.
Need Further Research
But Cheng stressed that his research did not show a causal relationship between Viagra or sildenafil and senile dementia.
According to him, clinical trials are still needed involving both men and women as well as placebos to determine efficacy of sildenafil or viagra.
But a number of experts who were not involved in the research welcomed the findings. Senior researcher at the University of Oxford Ivan Koychev said the findings were very interesting. “That suggests a specific drug that might offer a new treatment to treat the disease,” he said.
– .
