Research published recently suggests that Pfizer’s erectile dysfunction drug Viagra can decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by up to 69 percent.

The research, which was published in Nature, found that the medication has a direct effect on brain health and significantly reduces the toxic proteins that can cause dementia.

The study’s findings are so promising that the drug may someday be used to counter dementia. A new team of experts is preparing to conduct another study that builds on this data but tests the generic version of Viagra, sildenafil, in patients suffering from early Alzheimer’s.

The team of researchers arrived at Viagra’s viability as a treatment for dementia after analyzing 1,600 approved drugs hoping to find one that could be repurposed to fight the root causes of dementia.

“Sildenafil, which has been shown to significantly improve cognition and memory in preclinical models, presented as the best drug candidate. Sildenafil may have neuroprotective effects and reduce levels of toxic tau proteins,” said Dr. Feixiong Cheng, the lead researcher on the study, which was conducted by the Cleveland Clinic.

Despite the excitement surrounding the study’s promising results, some experts are advising people to not get their hopes up quite yet, as clinical trials are still necessary.

Coffee and Viagra offer new hope in fight against Alzheimer’s

Another recent study uncovered another unlikely weapon in the fight against dementia: coffee. Research suggests that coffee consumption may significantly decrease your chances of developing the disease.

The study sheds light on the mysterious disease, for which there is no cure as of now. While coffee does not mitigate or fight Alzheimer’s like some medications do, the study found that people with no memory loss who also drank larger than average amounts of coffee were at less of a risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, which is considered a pre-stage of Alzheimer’s disease.

“With Alzheimer’s disease, there’s currently a lack of any effective disease-modifying treatments. Our research group is specifically looking at modifiable risk factors that could delay the onset of the disease, and even a five-year delay could have massive social and economic benefits,” said lead author Samantha Gardener, who is a research fellow at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia.

“Worldwide, a high proportion of adults drink coffee every day, making it one of the most popular beverages consumed,” Gardener added.

The popularity and ubiquitousness of coffee could make it a viable method of deferring the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. But she also stressed that further studies are necessary. Gardener and her team are not yet sure what ingredient in coffee itself contributes to the delaying of Alzheimer’s.

“This is, obviously, preliminary data and it needs a lot more research before being recommended, but it’s really positive, and hopefully in the future, it can be incorporated as a modifiable lifestyle factor that can delay Alzheimer’s disease onset,” Gardener said.

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