Could Viagra (Sildenafil) Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease?
Erectile dysfunction medication Viagra could potentially be used as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Aging.
Patients who used the drug sildenafil, the generic name for Viagra, were 69% less likely to develop the disease than nonusers.
“Sildenafil, which has been shown to significantly improve cognition and memory in preclinical models, presented as the best drug candidate,” Feixiong Cheng, PhD, the lead study author in the Cleveland Clinic’s Genomic Medicine Institute, said in a statement.
“Notably, we found that sildenafil use reduced the likelihood of Alzheimer’s in individuals with coronary artery disease, hypertension and type 2 diabetes, all of which are comorbidities significantly associated with risk of the disease, as well as in those without,” he said
Can an Enlarged Prostate Cause Erectile Dysfunction?
An enlarged prostate can impact your life in a few different ways, particularly your sex life, which can in turn knock your confidence and cause stress and anxiety.
Enlarged prostate and erections
Can an enlarged prostate cause erectile dysfunction? We don’t know for certain that enlarged prostates cause ED but there is some data linking the two, and some BPH treatments, such as alpha blockers, can cause ED. Conversely, some erectile dysfunction treatments can in fact relieve the symptoms of an enlarged prostate.
So, can a swollen prostate cause erectile dysfunction? There simply haven’t been enough studies to confirm a link between erectile dysfunction and enlarged prostates. If you are experiencing erectile dysfunction alongside symptoms of BPH, the best thing to do is talk to your doctor.
You can find out more about erectile dysfunction causes here.
Enlarged prostate and ejaculation
It is unlikely that BPH on its own will cause problems with ejaculation. However, some of the treatments used for managing the symptoms of BPH can cause ejaculatory dysfunction. Many of the common BPH treatments, such as finasteride and dutasteride, can trigger issues with ejaculation, including a total inability to ejaculate or retrograde ejaculation, where the ejaculate goes into the bladder rather than out of the penis.
Which Vitamins Help Erectile Dysfunction?
Vitamin D
Vitamin B9
Vitamin B9, or folate, may also play a role in ED. In a 2014 studyTrusted Source, many participants with ED also had a folate deficiency.
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B3, or niacin, may also improve erectile function. One older studyTrusted Source concludes that niacin alone could improve moderate to severe ED. However, more research is necessary to confirm these findings.
