A great story: Sildenafil – better known as Viagra – may help against Alzheimer’s. With this, two signs of aging, one of which is annoying and restrictive, while the other turns life completely upside down, can be remedied with the potency pill. Old age probably loses part of its horror, at least for some men, and a clear mind and, if necessary, a hard member can be preserved for as long as possible.
The studythat stimulates such male fantasies is in the trade journal Nature aging appeared, at least with Nature has a prominent first name. The scientists from Cleveland had analyzed data from more than 7.2 million insured persons and determined in a model calculation that Viagra could reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 69 percent. To do this, they first identified the changes in genes and proteins that are typical for Alzheimer’s disease in animal models.
Computer analysis was then used to calculate which of the more than 1,600 drugs tested interacted most strongly with the changes. The researchers headed by Jiansong Fang also provide a possible mechanism: after all, cell tests have shown that sildenafil can stimulate the growth of nerve cells and inhibit the deposition of proteins typical of Alzheimer’s.
The question remains why studies are published
However, to put it mildly, the study has some weaknesses. First: The scientists only describe a correlation in their study. “That does not establish any causality; controlled randomized studies are necessary for this,” as the researchers themselves admit. Second, the observation period was six years, which is short for a long-progressive disease like Alzheimer’s disease. “They didn’t manage to excite me,” said Robert Howard, an expert in geriatric psychiatry at University College London.
Thirdly, one should also consider “which men go to the doctor for erectile dysfunction, they are already different from those who are pre-symptomatically affected by Alzheimer’s”. Fourth, differences in income and education could explain the differences; after all, belonging to a socio-economically higher class goes hand in hand with higher levels of Viagra consumption and a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Tara Spiers-Jones, neuroscientist at the University of Edinburgh, lists other shortcomings. Fifthly, it is known that insurance data is often inaccurate. For example, the study would not list anything about other risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. Sixth, women are at greater risk for Alzheimer’s; their share in the study was naturally small. Seventh, the libido is already reduced with the onset of dementia, so that those affected ask Viagra less often, which could distort the study. “The data may be scientifically interesting, but I would not go now and take sildenafil to prevent Alzheimer’s,” says Spiers-Jones, dampening the euphoria.
The question remains, why are studies published when the data is so prone to error? Randy Schekman, 2013 Nobel Prize in Medicine, complained at the time that “luxury journals” like Nature, Science and Cell Although they are considered to be “a spearhead of scientific quality”, articles often only bring in because they “sexy” bring to a head popular questions. Perhaps as a Viagra for the slackened readership?