"Viagra May Reduce Dementia Risk by 60%, Study Finds"

"PDE5 Protein Inhibition Effect Confirmed"
Controversy Continues Over Actual Preventive Efficacy
US Government Study Concludes No Connection

Research results have drawn attention by suggesting that 'Viagra,' originally developed as a treatment for erectile dysfunction, may have the potential to prevent the risk of Alzheimer's disease (dementia). However, controversy is expected to continue as previous U.S. government-funded studies have produced conflicting results.

According to local media reports such as the U.S. 'New York Post' on the 23rd (local time), researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York recently disclosed the results of an experiment involving over 27,000 participants aged 65 and older who were administered sildenafil (the active ingredient in Viagra).

Viagra [Image source=Pfizer]

The experiment divided participants into two groups, prescribing sildenafil to only one group and observing the outcomes.

Viagra belongs to a class of drugs known as 'PDE5 inhibitors,' which inhibit a protein called PDE5. It is generally known that dementia patients have increased levels of the PDE5 protein in the brain regions responsible for memory management.

The experiment showed that those prescribed sildenafil exhibited an inhibitory effect on the PDE5 protein. Based on these results, the researchers stated, "Sildenafil may be significantly associated with a 60% reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease."

Controversy over Viagra's efficacy in preventing dementia is not new. In 2021, a research team from Cleveland University analyzed U.S. health insurance records and reported that Viagra could prevent dementia by 69%.

However, debate arose over whether the PDE5 protein, which Viagra is known to inhibit, is actually linked to the onset of dementia.

In particular, the 'DREAM' project, a Viagra research initiative sponsored by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, found no specific association between Viagra and dementia prevention.

Meanwhile, Viagra is frequently highlighted as a candidate for 'drug repurposing'?developing already approved drugs for new uses. In January, a cardiovascular research team at the University of Southern California's medical school attracted attention by publishing findings that linked Viagra to the prevention of heart disease.

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