I remain a bit puzzled about why the first stories about this, which appeared at the end of 2021 (as a result of a different study), did not seem to result in a plethora of jokes on talk shows or elsewhere. But here's a detailed article in the Washington Post about a new study with similar results:
Why Viagra has been linked with better brain health
One bit:
The findings are based on a massive study of nearly 270,000 middle-aged men in Britain. Researchers at University College London used electronic medical records to track the health of the men, who were all 40 or older and had been diagnosed with erectile dysfunction between 2000 and 2017. Each man’s health and prescriptions were tracked for at least a year, although the median follow-up time was 5.1 years.
During the study, 1,119 men in the cohort were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The researchers noticed a distinctive pattern. The men who were prescribed Viagra or a similar drug had an 18 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, compared with men who weren’t given the medication.
The researchers also found an even larger difference in men who appeared to use Viagra more often. Among the highest users, based on total prescriptions, the risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s was 44 percent lower. (Men with erectile dysfunction are instructed to only take Viagra before sex, and no more than once a day.)
And yeah, there is a question of causation or correlation, but as the article notes, there is reason to suspect its more than mere correlation.
Update: well, in more oddball viagra news I just noticed -
A priest in Spain has been arrested for allegedly running a Viagra trafficking operation from his home.
The unnamed clergyman was detained alongside another man on suspicion of selling the medication, as well as "other powerful aphrodisiac substances", according to El Pais.
He was arrested in Spain's western Extremadura region and has appeared in court charged with a criminal offence.
The priest's lawyer told local media the allegations were unfounded.
The result is not surprising. Viagra increases vasodilation of small blood vessels. The brain has more small blood vessels than any other region of the body, it uses a huge amount of resources. Viagra helps with that. The result is akin to the studies finding Ginkgo Biloba helps with mild cognitive impairment. Like Viagra, GB stimulates the production of nitric oxide, a critical vasodilator.
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