For decades, researchers have hunted for a way or drugs to combat the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s disease, often to no avail.

The disease is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that affects the brain, slowly destroying memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks.

Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, particularly among older adults.

Now, an unexpected new player has emerged: Viagra, a brand-name medication used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) in men. ED is defined as the inability to achieve or maintain a firm enough erection for sexual intercourse.

A recent study published in the journal Neurology has sparked excitement and raised questions about whether Viagra and similar drugs might hold the key to preventing Alzheimer’s.

The research, led by Dr Ruth Brauer from University College London, analysed the medical records of 269,725 men with 1,119 newly diagnosed with AD with erectile dysfunction.

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The study discovered that men who took Viagra were 18% less likely to develop the most common type of Alzheimer’s later in life, particularly those who received the most prescriptions.

“We can’t say that the drugs are responsible, but this does give us food for thought on how we move into the future,” said Dr Brauer

It also found out that the effect was even stronger in those who took more of the medication, with a 44% lower risk seen in men who filled 21–50 prescriptions over the study period compared to those who didn’t.

While this finding is intriguing, you better hold your horses before rushing to the pharmacy. It’s essential to approach this finding with caution. The study was observational, meaning it cannot definitively prove that Viagra directly prevents Alzheimer’s.

Other factors, like lifestyle habits, could explain the observed association. Additionally, the study only included men, raising questions about its applicability to women.

“We now need a proper clinical trial to look at the effects of these drugs on Alzheimer’s in women as well as men,” said Dr Brauer.

When asked if the drugs would be expected to work on women as well as men, she called for a large-scale trial encompassing a diverse group of people.

Over five years, Brauer and her fellow researchers tracked how many developed Alzheimer’s. Just over half were taking PDE5 inhibitors like Viagra, which work by relaxing blood vessels and improving blood flow.

Studies in animals suggest this improved blood flow could protect the brain, and other research shows that PDE5 inhibitors raise levels of a potentially protective compound called cGMP, which refers to the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations.

Also, because the information is not recorded reliably in medical records, the researchers were unable to account for differing levels of physical and sexual activity among the men. It may be that the most physically and sexually active men, who had a low risk of developing Alzheimer’s, were most likely to use Viagra or similar pills.