Last year was a record-breaking one for Alzheimer’s disease, as the death toll reached a new high—and there are more people living with the disease than ever before. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, there are currently 5.5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease, and by the year 2050 that figure is expected to reach 16 million. The grim statistic makes Alzheimer’s disease the most common cause of dementia, and one of the most devastating neurological diseases, prompting many to ask how the disease has changed, and will continue to change, in the coming years.
One area of research that is gaining popularity is whether or not the commonly prescribed drug, Viagra, could play a role in protecting the brain from Alzheimer’s disease. For decades, doctors have prescribed Viagra to men with erectile dysfunction (the inability to achieve or maintain an erection), and the popular drug has become so popular because it has been shown to improve cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. (1)
While it’s true that Viagra can help men with erectile dysfunction, what if that’s not the case? What if Viagra actually makes you more susceptible to Alzheimer’s? That’s the question that researchers are trying to answer—and the emerging findings are surprising.
Why Are So Many People Developing Alzheimer’s Disease in the First Place?
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, there are several factors behind the current wave of Alzheimer’s disease. One of the most significant factors is the increase in life expectancy—in fact, people are living longer and longer. Another factor is the increase in the number of people entering the workforce—more and more people are working through their entire life expectancy, which means they’re exposed to more toxins and neuroactive substances than ever before. (2)
In addition, the proportion of Americans who are overweight is increasing, putting those people at risk of diabetes, which is linked to Alzheimer’s. Those who are overweight are also more likely to be sedentary, leading to an even greater risk of Alzheimer’s. (3)
Is There Anything To Be Done About This?
Whether or not you believe that Viagra plays a role in Alzheimer’s disease, the fact remains that more and more people are developing the disease, and it’s currently one of the most common causes of death. That’s why researchers are scrambling to better understand what’s happening, and whether or not there’s anything that can be done about it. One research group in the United Kingdom is currently conducting a large trial studying the effects of different doses of Viagra on people with Alzheimer’s disease, hoping to unravel the mystery behind the link between the drug and the most common cause of dementia. (4)
What About Baby Boomers? Could They Be Protected From Alzheimer’s?
Many people have speculated that the rise in the number of older Americans developing Alzheimer’s is due to advances in medicine—that maybe, just maybe, people are living longer, and with fewer diseases, than ever before. While that may be true, it’s not the case—at least not completely. (5)
Baby boomers are indeed protected from Alzheimer’s disease, as they tend to accumulate fewer and fewer toxic proteins as they get older. The reason behind this is simple—they’re wired differently than previous generations. (6)
In a perfect world, we’d all be the same—wired the same, behaving the same, metabolizing proteins and other chemicals the same—but since we’re not, it stands to reason that we might see differences in how we respond to certain situations, especially regarding our brains. (7)
The Results of the Trial Are In
The findings of the trial are in, and the results are certainly interesting. (8)
To begin with, the participants in the study took either a low dose of Viagra (50mg) or a high dose (100mg), or a placebo, per day for three years. Every two years, they had memory tests and other evaluations to determine whether or not they were still developing Alzheimer’s disease. Amazingly, while there were no significant changes in the mental status of the participants who took the placebo, those who took the low dose of Viagra demonstrated significantly better memory function and a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease. (9)
It appears that Viagra exerts its protective effects by increasing the body’s production of an enzyme called aromatase, which is responsible for catalyzing the conversion of testosterone to estrogen. Testosterone is a hormone that encourages the growth of cells in the brain, and it is believed that too much of it may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Estrogen, on the other hand, has a protective effect on the brain, and lowering the body’s exposure to estrogen may be a way of preventing or attenuating Alzheimer’s disease. (10)
What about the other dose? Did the higher dose of Viagra do more good than harm? Unfortunately, the higher dose also had detrimental effects on the participants’ mental faculties, as they took more than twice as long as those who took the low dose to recover from mental tasks. (11)
Conclusion
While the results of the trial are certainly interesting, and may even change the way doctors approach the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, they must be interpreted with caution. First of all, this was a study involving just over 200 people, and as we’ve established, many people are developing the disease these days, which means we cannot assume that the results from this trial will be applicable to the population at large. (12)
In addition, as we’ve seen, the results of the trial may be due to a combination of factors, some of which could be the result of chance, and others of which could be explained by the direct effects of Viagra. Without conducting more trials involving larger sample sizes, and controlling for more variables, it would be impossible to know for sure which factor(s) are responsible for the protective effects of Viagra against Alzheimer’s disease. (13)
Despite the caveats mentioned above, the results of the trial are certainly interesting, and may even change the way doctors approach the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. While there are many questions that remain, especially concerning how and why the drug is protecting the brains of the test subjects, there is little doubt that Viagra—at least in low doses—is doing some good.