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DannyB writes:

Taking Viagra cuts the risk of Alzheimer's by up to 69% and it could be prescribed to beat dementia, study suggests

TAKING Viagra slashes Alzheimer's risk by two-thirds, research suggests.

Scientists claim the love drug may help boost brain health and cut levels of toxic proteins that trigger dementia.

Experts analysed data on 7.2 million U.S. adults and found regular users had a 69 per cent lower chance of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's over the next six years.

Medics say the findings, published in the journal Nature Aging suggest the little blue pill could soon be prescribed to tackle dementia.

They are now planning a fresh study to test the benefits of sildenafil – the generic version of Viagra – in early Alzheimer's patients.

Study Finds Viagra Usage Could Reduce Alzheimer's Risk by 70 Percent:

With new drug development being a time and cost-intensive process, researchers in the pharma industry have turned to repurpose already approved drugs.

[...] In the case of Alzheimer's disease, two proteins, namely beta-amyloid and tau, begin accumulating inside the brain, leading to clots and tangles. Clinical trials targeting these proteins have failed in the past decade [...] Recent research has also shown that the two proteins that work together cause the disease. The researchers began investigating which of the approved drugs could act on both the proteins at the same time instead of targeting just one.

Giant Study Finds Viagra Is Linked to Almost 70% Lower Risk of Alzheimer's:

It's not the first time sildenafil use has been linked with better health outcomes, with the drug previously showing promise in a range of different scientific contexts, including cancer and malaria research among others.

[...] Out of over 1,600 such medications already approved by the FDA, sildenafil turned out to be one of the most promising candidates.

[...] "We hypothesized that drugs targeting the molecular network intersection of amyloid and tau endophenotypes should have the greatest potential for success... Sildenafil, which has been shown to significantly improve cognition and memory in preclinical models, presented as the best drug candidate."

If the drug is approved for this use, then Alzheimer's patients will have a hard time forgetting things.

See Also: Could Viagra reduce Alzheimer's risk?

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