Giant Study Finds Viagra Is Linked To Almost 70% Lower Risk of Alzheimer's (sciencealert.com) 115
fahrbot-bot shares a report from ScienceAlert: Usage of the medication sildenafil -- better known to most as the brand-name drug Viagra -- is associated with dramatically reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests. According to a study led by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic, taking sildenafil is tied to a nearly 70 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's compared to non-users. That's based on an analysis of health insurance claim data from over 7.2 million people, in which records showed that claimants who took the medication were much less likely to develop Alzheimer's over the next six years of follow up, compared to matched control patients who didn't use sildenafil.
It's important to note that observed associations like this -- even on a huge scale -- are not the same as proof of a causative effect. For example, it's possible that the people in the cohort who took sildenafil might have something else to thank for their improved chances of not developing Alzheimer's. Nonetheless, the researchers say the correlation shown here -- in addition to other indicators in the study -- is enough to identify sildenafil as a promising candidate drug for Alzheimer's disease, the viability of which can be explored in future randomized clinical trials designed to test whether causality does indeed exist.
It's important to note that observed associations like this -- even on a huge scale -- are not the same as proof of a causative effect. For example, it's possible that the people in the cohort who took sildenafil might have something else to thank for their improved chances of not developing Alzheimer's. Nonetheless, the researchers say the correlation shown here -- in addition to other indicators in the study -- is enough to identify sildenafil as a promising candidate drug for Alzheimer's disease, the viability of which can be explored in future randomized clinical trials designed to test whether causality does indeed exist.
Cause and effect (Score:2, Funny)
If the patient has Alzheimer's, what doctor is going to prescribe Viagra? Especially given how frequently such patients get confused over who is who - like mistaking daughters for wives.
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If the patient has Alzheimer's, what doctor is going to prescribe Viagra? Especially given how frequently such patients get confused over who is who - like mistaking daughters for wives.
Right.. Because when you have Alzheimer's disease, you are typically at an age where you have young daughters living with you.
THINK.. then speak..
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Not young daughters, retard. Adult daughters. My sister was in her 40s when it happened with my father, because she looked a good deal like my mother did in her 40s.
Dumbass.
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Not young daughters, retard. Adult daughters. My sister was in her 40s when it happened with my father, because she looked a good deal like my mother did in her 40s.
Dumbass.
Right.. And the Viagra turned him into a rapist? You're an idiot.
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It serves no purpose, and causes discomfort for all involved.
But, being a retarded asshole, those are probably highly desirable for you.
Actual doctors, however, try to avoid those when, again, it serves no purpose.
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TFA says "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."
That seems to be a very small subset of sildenafil users. Also, after taking sildenafil, the occurrence of Alzheimer's was lessened over the next six years, not that they were giving sildenafil to Alzheimer's patients and tracking res
Re: Cause and effect (Score:2)
So this one topic personally hit at home. Still a stupid comment. Viagra doesn't make someone uncontrollably horney.
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Do you become sexually aroused at the thought of cause old, confused people discomfort while accomplishing absolutely nothing positive?
Do you really believe that doctors prescribe Viagra for patients with Alzheimer's on a regular basis?
Are you really that stupid?
Re: Cause and effect (Score:4, Insightful)
Stop disgracing yourself and actually _read_ the story. It is not about giving Viagra to people with Alzheimers.
Re: Cause and effect (Score:2)
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While that's true, I know if I take it and don't have sex, I am much more irritable than if I haven't taken it. Almost to the point of acting like a brat and leaving the room.
I'm sure a big part of that is feeling like there was a missed opportunity. It would probably help if I could communicate that I have taken it with my wife but I'm too subconscious for that. And she doesn't like to "plan" sex so I take it more than I actually get use out of it since I'm hoping for the best.... Now that I write this
Re: Cause and effect (Score:3)
When I was young I worked at a nursing home, one dementia patient believed herself to be a young woman, her female roommate often believed herself to be her male husband, they would sometimes be found in bed together engaged in consensual acts, but our training was just to leave them and let them do their thing. Even folks with dementia have right to sex life, according to the professionals.
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Did you prescribe them Viagra? Serious question. Because otherwise, your post has nothing whatsoever to do with my point.
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Is it consensual if one side doesn't even know who they are?
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Alzheimer's can be diagnosed long before the patient fails to recognize who people are.
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And how many doctors prescribe Viagra even then?
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Almost all of those whose patients have a reasonable request for it.
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It sure helped my uncle, "Boner" Johnson, he never developed Alzheimers.
Never got invited out much any more after he started on the meds either, can't imagine why.
Re: Cause and effect (Score:2)
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If the patient has Alzheimer's, what doctor is going to prescribe Viagra? Especially given how frequently such patients get confused over who is who - like mistaking daughters for wives.
The idea is to prevent Alzheimer's, not to cure it. I personally have doubts whether it is reversible, but I would be happy to be wrong.
And hey, even if sildenafil does not prevent it, you might as well enjoy life before you get it.
Re: Cause and effect (Score:2)
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This seems more likely to be the cause. Getting laid is extremely good for your health, both physical and mental.
Yes, quite possibly. Not unlike other exercise. Also people that get it prescribed have decided to do something about their declining functionality instead of just accepting it.
Re: Cause and effect (Score:2)
Tried and failed at being funny... still in high school?
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It's an electronic health records study, so the vast majority of their data is going to be historical. They didn't find a bunch of people going on viagra and then wait six years to follow up. I wouldn't be surprised if they were looking to confirm the observation in another dataset though.
Greater than 2 and less than 10 is a pretty typical time interval for predicting the onset of Alzheimer's. Much longer and you're probably looking at big lifespan type factors, much shorter and the result probably won't be
Re:Cause and effect (Score:5, Funny)
Does any of this help you remember her name in the morning?
Asking for a friend.
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It says (right in the summary) less likely to DEVELOP Alzheimer's. As in they started taking it before the disease kicked in.
The more likely correlation, which hopefully they corrected for, is income. If you can afford Viagra and have a need for it, you probably live a more healthy lifestyle anyway.
Re: Cause and effect (Score:2)
Re:Cause and effect (Score:4, Insightful)
If the patient has Alzheimer's, what doctor is going to prescribe Viagra? Especially given how frequently such patients get confused over who is who - like mistaking daughters for wives.
You are confused. This needs to be prescribed _before_ the patient develops Alzheimers. It is not a cure, it is a possible preventative.
Baby, I'll lose my mind... (Score:2)
...if I can't have sex!
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You'll have both your memory and a boner, BUT you will go blind.
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But that's only if you touch yourself, according to my Grandma.
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You'll have both your memory and a boner, BUT you will go blind.
Given the kind of sex partners normally available to those at risk of Alzheimer's, blindness both effects might be necessary for successful copulation.
,
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Potential mechanism of action (Score:5, Interesting)
Viagra is a vasodilator, it improves blood flow. So maybe improved blood flow in the brain helps wash out the plaques and salts in the brain.
This is all hypothetical, and more study is needed. A 70% reduction is notable, but it's more like an arrow pointing towards potential fruitful research, than an actual cure. A different study could come up with a different result.
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Re:Potential mechanism of action (Score:4, Insightful)
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Viagra is a vasodilator, it improves blood flow. So maybe improved blood flow in the brain helps wash out the plaques and salts in the brain.
This is all hypothetical, and more study is needed. A 70% reduction is notable, but it's more like an arrow pointing towards potential fruitful research, than an actual cure. A different study could come up with a different result.
Pretty much this, and if it doesn't work on the Alzheimers, it seems likely the afflicted still remembers what to do with an engorged penis.
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it seems likely the afflicted still remembers what to do with an engorged penis.
I wonder.
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Surely, it's one of the earliest unforgettable childhood memories... perhaps, the most ingrained.
On the comedic side:
One guy said, "I tried snorting it but I got a stiff neck."
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I can't say I know how to use mine well, still.
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Article doesn't mention 'cure', rather it suggests Viagra may be a preventative.
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Other common vasodialators: Ethanol, capsaicin, THC, and theobromine (found in chocolate).
I've heard positive things about all of these except ethanol, probably because it does other bad things to the brain that outweigh the vasodialation.
Also, alzheimer's isn't the only thing to worry about. I've also heard THC can cause arhythmias. You might just end up fully cognizant of your failing heart... which is still better than having alzheimers because you can probably just smoke more to take your mind off i
Another potential mechanism of action (Score:5, Insightful)
That is a possible explanation. Note that this wasn't a double blind study: they looked at health insurance claim data. Another could be that when you get Alzheimer's you lose interest in everything, and so when you start to get the disease you stop having a reason to want Viagra. IOW you only want Viagra if you don't have Alzheimer's. I lost my dad to Alzheimer's and the disease comes with significant cognitive decline beyond the forgetfulness that everyone talks about.
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It wouldn't be the first time the Pharma industry has done something like that.
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I'm pretty sure there are generics for Sildenafil now. So hopefully if this treatment _does_ pan out, it will stay cheap.
Jumping to conclusions (Score:5, Insightful)
The Biogen plaque clearing drug for Alzimer's doesn't seem to do much at all. As it turns out the plaque is not the root cause or even a serious secondary contributor to the disease.
It is easy to find a link it is much harder to find the relationship.
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As it turns out the plaque is not the root cause or even a serious secondary contributor to the disease.
Say what? [mit.edu]
Long before symptoms like memory loss even emerge, the underlying pathology of Alzheimer’s disease, such as an accumulation of amyloid protein plaques, is well underway in the brain. A longtime goal of the field has been to understand where it starts so that future interventions could begin there. A new study by MIT neuroscientists at The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory could help those efforts by pinpointing the regions with the earliest emergence of amyloid in the brain of a prominent mouse model of the disease. Notably, the study also shows that the degree of amyloid accumulation in one of those same regions of the human brain correlates strongly with the progression of the disease.
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Re:Jumping to conclusions (Score:5, Informative)
When you see smoke, vacuuming it out won't stop the damage the fire burning shit is causing. Amount of smoke is indeed correlated with size of fire (in identical materials), that doesn't prove causation either. That's where we're at with Alzheimer's and plaques now.
Re:Jumping to conclusions (Score:4, Interesting)
If I had to guess, I'd say that herpes is the cause. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.go... [nih.gov]
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It is easy to find a link it is much harder to find the relationship.
True. But finding or disproving a causal relationship starts with a link. Hence the research is entirely sound and interesting. The _reporting_, on the other hand, is the usual brain-damaged sensationalist crap that apparently a significant part of the audience wants.
Correlation is not causation... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Correlation is not causation... (Score:4, Funny)
Maybe the sex itself deters Alzheimer's.
If that's the case, and given the FDA precedent on the recent Biogen Alzheimer's drug, will Medicare start paying for prostitutes?
leads to a "rise" in sexual therapy+lyft, not limo (Score:3)
Maybe the sex itself deters Alzheimer's.
If that's the case, and given the FDA precedent on the recent Biogen Alzheimer's drug, will Medicare start paying for prostitutes?
A prostitute is like a limousine...the most luxurious option. But really all you need is a "ride," the equivalent of a bus or lyft/uber. I could easily see handjobs being legitimate therapy choices 30 years from now. We already have orderlies cleaning the most intimate parts of incontinent patients.
Why not have a therapist give weekly handjobs or use a fleshlight on them?...or vibrators for the ladies. I actually would personally support it. My parents are getting up there in age. If some minimum
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That's why streetwalkers are common in rich neighborhoods -- not.
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Streetwalkers are like a drive-thru takeaway. Richer neighborhoods have premises where you can dine-in.
Re:Correlation is not causation... (Score:5, Informative)
That is true, but in this case there was a second step toward validation:
"To further verify their findings, the team created model cells of Alzheimer's disease in the lab using stem cells and treated them with sildenafil. The drug not only increased brain cell growth but also decreased hyperphosphorylation of tau proteins, a process that usually leads to tangles."
Not proof, but more than simple correlation.
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Right. My first thought was that more active social life is associated with both reduced dementia risk and more sex. Interacting with other people as you get older keeps your mental faculties in shape. The drug does increase blood flow to the brain, but I'm a wee bit skeptical that most people will use it regularly enough that it would make a difference in long term. There should be a difference between people who take it daily for years vs. those who take it more sporadically.
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And, again, this is _not_ about treating Alzheimers, this is about possibly _preventing_ it. Seriously.
It's possible that the people... (Score:2)
in the cohort who took sildenafil might have something else to thank for their improved chances of not developing Alzheimer's.
You mean like fucking? Maybe having a healthy sex life in our later years still has significant benefits. I find it hard to believe they didn't try to account for this but I guess it may be lacking in the data set. Nonetheless, we probably can assume those taking Viagra are having sex more than those who aren't -- so this seems to be the first place to look for an alternative cause.
I
Yes I think you are onto something (Score:1)
Maybe having a healthy sex life in our later years still has significant benefits.
That's exactly what I came here to post half-jokingly... there are so many benefits to sex in terms of the physical, but sex is very much a mental activity as well so it stands to reason it keeps the mind in use more and thus sharper.
In the future perhaps above a certain age you can have your health care pay for brothel visits if you are unmarried.
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I oddly don't like calling sex mental activity... In yoga we have chakras and there are yogic practices that focus on upper or lower chakras. If we focus on the upper we are chiming into those mental facilities but if we focus on the lower we are focusing on world pleasures largely.
I remember making up the phrase "youth is not wasted on the young, it's forgotten by the old". I am sure someone else said it but the reality is this is something sex gives us. It makes us feel young for a moment, when we release
Cake and eat it too (Score:1)
This is too good to be true; we can have a boner AND our memory at the same time when we get old. The Matrix must have a Boolean logic glitch, it's not suppose to be this nice. If this keeps up, it will also cure baldness.
It may freak out some nurses, though.
Who paid for the study? (Score:1)
Pfizer already extended the patent once - is this just them doing it again?
Very interesting (Score:2)
This would be really nice if it's a causal link. Not nearly enough evidence, yet, however.
Correlation-only possibility: Those people who are prescribed viagra are more socially, physically, and sexually active than those who are in the early stages of combined physical and mental decline that often go together in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's. Thus viagra patience are less likely to go on to develop diagnosed Alzheimer's any time soon.
Causation possibility: something about the impact on blood flow and
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Correlation implies causation (yeah, I know, the Internet is stupid).
If you have a real correlation, there are three possible causal relationships:
1) Viagra prevents Alzheimer's
2) Being destined to develop Alzheimer's prevents patients from seeking viagra.
3) Some third factor causes patients to seek viagra and not get Alzheimer's.
All three of those are pretty interesting. If the third factor is an active lifestyle, which you and a bunch of other posters are suggesting, a 70% association with a very indirect
The placebo effect. (Score:1)
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Apparently alzheimers... (Score:2)
When the wife finds the bottle (Score:2)
Ehhhh, I'm just preventing Alzheimer's honey, I swear. ;)
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What is this you cheating jerk, we haven't had sex in 2 years!
Ehhhh, I'm just preventing Alzheimer's honey, I swear. ;)
Sorry, I couldn't remember when we last had sex.
Better call my PED dealer (Score:2)
tonight and load up.
I wonder (Score:3)
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This is actually a really clever marker to look for. Canada has that data apparently.
https://www.canada.ca/content/... [canada.ca]
Appears to be flat in men, but increasing in women. Again, more correlation but does align with the findings in this study.
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Oops I actually totally misread the key. There is no real difference.
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Since this medication became common, and is generally prescribed to men, have we seen a decrease in Alzheimer's incidence among men without a commensurate decrease in incidence among women? That would be another interesting datapoint.
Women are also prescribed sildenafil (25mg) sometimes.
Is significantly less common than sildenafil usage in males, but still...
this does not detract from Parent's point, is just an interesting fact.
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Sometimes even for sort of the same reason, to increase arousal directly by inducing a clardon.
Any lies to sell their drugs... (Score:2)
Not just having sex? (Score:2)
seems more likely ;)
Giant study (Score:2)
But what about us regular-sized folks?
Meld (Score:2)
This is gonna change the vibe around a lot of Boca Raton pinochle games.
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I feel there's a lot of double entendre going on here, but I'm a European and I have no clue :D
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"I feel there's a lot of double entendre going on here, but I'm a European and I have no clue"
Improved blood circulation is good for the head, both of them.
statistical CAUTION (Score:4, Funny)
If you think about this correlation real hard for more than 5 hours, consult your statistician immediately.
Easy explanation (Score:2)
Those on viagra actually had done something worth rememberingâ¦
I forgot where I put... (Score:2)
Are they saying we should take it even if (Score:1)
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"Are they saying we should take it even if we don't need it? Not asking for a friend."
I you had tried it only once, you would know that you need it.
What could it be? (Score:2)
> It's important to note that observed associations like this -- even on a huge scale -- are not the same as proof of a causative effect. For example, it's possible that the people in the cohort who took sildenafil might have something else to thank for their improved chances of not developing Alzheimer's
What could be this mysterious "something else"? Maybe sex, or being generally healthy for it?
Before publishing a study with a correlation... (Score:2)
Prophylaxis (Score:2)
I read it that you have to take it regularly before the onset of symptoms.
Might just as well mean that those people are more active in their lifestyle to begin with.
Is it the Viagra or the sex or the libido ... (Score:2)
or something else all these horny people have in common? ... interesting correlation nonetheless.
Sure (Score:4, Insightful)
They didn't compare it with other drugs for ED, they didn't compare it to people who don't take the drug but are having sex just as frequently (potentially a correlation to the exertion), etc. This is like claiming that leaves drop from trees in the Fall because the birds flew south.
From the article:
It's important to note that observed associations like this – even on a huge scale – are not the same as proof of a causative effect. For example, it's possible that the people in the cohort who took sildenafil might have something else to thank for their improved chances of not developing Alzheimer's.
And yet, the article claims this makes the drug "a promising candidate drug for Alzheimer's disease". NO, NO, NO. Not until you've come up with some actual fucking evidence.
Bummer! (Score:2)
Now Granddad is lucid AND has a boner?
Poor meemaw.
Cause and effect (Score:2)
It might be the pill causing the decreased risk of Alzheimer. Perhaps due to a blood flow thing.
My money is on it being the sex though.
the three-minute cure (Score:2)
So, three minutes of exercise a month is better for your health than zero minutes a month.