The little blue pill is good for more than just one part of the body.
Viagra reduces the risk of heart disease in men by up to 39 percent, according to a new study. And men taking the drug also appeared less likely to suffer an early death from any cause.
Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) looked at 70,000 adult men with an average age of 52, all of whom had been diagnosed with erectile dysfunction at some point in their lives.
Experts believe that the drug increases blood flow in the arteries of the heart and improves the flow of oxygen in the body. Therefore, previous research has also linked the use of Viagra to a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s, which may be caused by a lack of blood flow to the heart.
Using ED drugs like Viagra can significantly reduce a person’s chance of suffering from severe heart conditions and dying an early death, a new study suggests (file photo)
While the results of this study are promising, doctors do not recommend taking the drug off-label and it has only been approved to treat ED.
The medication works to relax the muscles in the man’s penis, which allows more blood to flow. It also thins the blood, making it flow more easily in the body.
When aroused, the increase in blood flow allows the man to have a stronger erection.
Older men are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure and other problems that thicken the blood and reduce its flow around the body.
In turn, they often suffer from ED because of these conditions.
The latest study, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, gathered data from more than 70,000 men diagnosed with ED from 2006 to 2020.
Using medical records, they determined who had taken ED drugs — and any subsequent heart problems they may have suffered during the follow-up period.
Among the population, 23,816 used the drug to help in the bedroom, while 48,682 others did not.
They found that those who used these medications were less likely to suffer heart problems after adjusting for factors such as race, height and weight.
Overall, deaths from heart conditions dropped dramatically by nearly 40 percent.
ED drug users were also 17 percent less likely to suffer from heart failure — when the heart doesn’t pump as well as it should.
Users were 15 percent likely to request a coronary revascularization procedure — used to remove blockages in the arteries of the heart — down the line.
There was also a 22 percent decreased chance of developing unstable angina, when plaque in the coronary arteries denies oxygen and blood to the heart.
Each of these conditions can be deadly if not treated and significantly increase the probability of a person suffering a fatal heart attack.
Men who used ED drugs also lived longer on average, with their risk of early death decreasing by a quarter over the study period.
‘[Use of the drugs] was associated with a lower incidence of [heart complications]cardiovascular death, and overall mortality risk compared with non-exposure,” the researchers wrote.
While the researchers did not investigate why the medications were linked to better heart health, they cited previous research in their speculations.
This found that the use of drugs lowers a person’s blood pressure, which helps flow throughout the body and decreases the risk of coagulation and other blockages that cause severe heart problems.
This is because the drug thins the blood to help flow to the penis, leading to stronger erections.
It also improves flow through the brachial artery, a major blood vessel that supplies blood to the arm, elbow and hand.
The studies on mice cited by the researchers found that those exposed to the drugs suffered less severe heart attacks.
Increased blood flow can also be good for the brain. A 2014 study found men who used the drug suffered a decreased risk of developing dementia.
A Danish study in 2018 found that 52 percent of men suffer from ED at some point, with the risk increasing with age.
It is estimated that more than 10 million American men, and 40 million men worldwide, suffer from the condition now.
Many men use drugs like Viagra or Cialis to treat these problems.
While the data is fragile, there are anecdotal reports of younger men in their 20s even turning to drugs to deal with performance anxiety and other problems in the bedroom.