The little blue pill is good for more than just one body part.
Viagra reduces the risk of heart disease in men by up to 39%, according to a new study. And men who take the drug also seem less likely to suffer an early death from any cause.
Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) looked at 70,000 adult men with an average age of 52, all diagnosed with erectile dysfunction at some point in their lives.
Experts believe that the drug increases blood flow in the arteries of the heart and improves the flow of oxygen throughout the body. For this reason, previous research has also linked Viagra use to a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s, which can be caused by a lack of blood flow to the brain.

Using erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra can significantly reduce a person’s likelihood of suffering from serious heart problems and dying prematurely, a new study suggests (file photo)
While the results of this study are promising, doctors don’t recommend taking the drug off-label and it’s only approved for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.
The medication works by relaxing the muscles in a man’s penis, which allows more blood to flow into the penis. It also thins the blood, making it easier to flow in the body.
When excited, the increased blood flow allows a man to have a stronger erection.
Elderly men are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure and other conditions that thicken the blood and reduce its flow through the body.
In turn, they often suffer from erectile dysfunction because of these conditions.
The most recent study, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, pooled data from more than 70,000 men diagnosed with erectile dysfunction from 2006 to 2020.
Using medical records, they determined who had taken erectile dysfunction drugs — and any subsequent heart problems they may have suffered during the follow-up period.
Among the population, 23,816 used the drugs to help in the bedroom, while another 48,682 did not.
They found that those who used these drugs were less likely to experience heart problems after adjusting for factors such as race, height and weight.
Overall, deaths from heart conditions have dropped by nearly 40%.
Erectile dysfunction drug users were also 17% less likely to experience heart failure – when the heart doesn’t pump as well as it should.
Users had a 15 percent chance of needing a coronary revascularization procedure – used to clear blockages in the heart’s arteries – in the future.
There was also a 22 percent decrease in the likelihood of developing unstable angina, when plaque in the coronary artery denies oxygen and blood to the heart.
Each of these conditions can be deadly if left untreated and significantly increase a person’s likelihood of suffering a fatal heart attack.
Men who used erectile dysfunction drugs also lived longer on average, with their risk of premature death falling by a quarter over the study period.
‘[Use of the drugs] was associated with a lower incidence of [heart complications]cardiovascular death and overall mortality risk compared with no exposure,” the researchers wrote.
While the researchers didn’t investigate why the drugs were linked to better heart health, they cite previous research in their speculations.
This found that using the drugs lowers a person’s blood pressure, which helps it flow throughout the body and lowers the risk of clotting and other blockages that cause serious heart problems.
This is because the drug thins the blood to help it flow to the penis, leading to stronger erections.
It also improves flow through the brachial artery, an important blood vessel that supplies blood to the upper arm, elbow and hand.
Mouse studies cited by the researchers found that those exposed to the drugs suffered less severe heart attacks.
Increased blood flow can also be good for the brain. A 2014 study found that men who used the drugs had a reduced risk of developing dementia.
A Danish study in 2018 found that 52% of men will experience erectile dysfunction at some point, with the risk increasing with age.
It is estimated that over 10 million American men and 40 million men worldwide suffer from the disease now.
Many men use drugs like Viagra or Cialis to deal with these problems.
While data is sparse, there are anecdotal reports of younger men in their 20s even turning to drugs to deal with performance anxiety and other problems in the bedroom.
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