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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Ian Sample Science editor

Viagra may help to lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, study finds

Rows of blue Viagra tablets
PDE5 inhibitor drugs like Viagra improve blood flow in the brain, which may give a protective effect. Photograph: True Images/Alamy

After a decades-long and largely fruitless hunt for drugs to combat Alzheimer’s disease, an unlikely candidate has raised its head: the erectile dysfunction pill Viagra.

Researchers found that men who were prescribed Viagra and similar medications were 18% less likely to develop the most common form of dementia years later than those who went without the drugs.

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