VIAGRA could slash the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 60 per cent, a study found.
Researchers say the sex drug sildenafil blocks an enzyme found in the brains of sufferers in large quantities.
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It also boosts blood supply, which could improve brain health and possibly even treat the dementia condition.
The study, which looked at more than 27,000 over-65s, found risk was 62 per cent lower for men and 47 per cent lower for women if they took the pills.
It suggested that Viagra suppresses a protein called PED5, which is “significantly increased” in Alzheimer’s patients in the part of the brain which manages memory.
The research, by Mount Sinai Medical Centre in New York, compared half of the over-65s who had been prescribed sildenafil with half who had not.
Women may get the drug to treat high blood pressure.
Study author Xingyue Huo said: “We found sildenafil was significantly associated with a 60 per cent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.”
Another recent study by Hope College, Michigan, found regular sex also protects against dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia, making up two thirds of all cases – equal to around 600,00 people in the UK.