Pills designed to help mitigate the effects of erectile dysfunction could actually have a greater purpose, as a new study reveals the surprising number of health benefits that medication like Viagra can have for the body.
It's generally underestimated quite how many men suffer from some form of erectile dysfunction as they age, with research indicating that over half of all males between the ages of 40 and 70 struggle to get or maintain an erection during sexual activity.
While it doesn't necessarily have one cause – as it can be linked to stress, alcohol consumption, a lack of sleep, and even issues with your prostate – many men don't take the necessary steps to assist the issue, leaving them to suffer in silence.
The use of medication such as Viagra or other phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE5is) can transform your sex life, yet a new study has revealed that this could actually provide a number of other major benefits to potentially life-limiting conditions.
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The study, published in the World Journal of Men's Health, suggests that PDE5is have "favorable clinical outcomes in several different health conditions that are also often considered co-morbidities for men with [prostate cancer]."
These include "urological, cardiovascular, metabolic, and skeletal conditions," noting that the benefits could reach a far wider net than just the penis, especially when given to patients with prostate cancer.
"If validated, PDE5i may be prescribed in appropriately selected patients and exert its beneficial effects in these men post [prostate cancer] treatment, not only improving health outcomes but also quality of life," the study concludes.
If you know anything about the history of Viagra then you'll note that this has coincidentally returned to where it all began, as the medication's now-primary purpose was discovered as an unexpected side effect during human trials, but could prove to have new health benefits now.
It's all to do with how erectile dysfunction pills work within the body, as they relax blood vessels which in turn allow more blood to flow into the penis, which maintains the erection for a longer period of time.
The study has warned that the evidence is primarily based on data from observational studies, noting that this therefore "cannot prove a causal relationship" between PDE5i pills and the aforementioned health benefits, but it does still signal a greater impact than first expected.
Hopefully further research and testing will go into the wider impact of these pills beyond their intended use, as that could prove to be transformational for many people, alongside the already useful effects.