A drug designed to overcome impotence may also help ward off type 2 diabetes in people who are already at risk, a new study suggests.
The research, funded by U.S. National Institutes of Health, indicated that Viagra (sildenafil) improved insulin sensitivity in pre-diabetic, overweight people.
But wait, there’s more.
"(Viagra) also reduces a biological marker that signals heightened risk of kidney and heart disease," according to the study.
The study was relatively small.
"Among the 42 participants who completed the study, researchers found those who were treated with sildenafil were more sensitive to the effects of insulin. Participants who took sildenafil also had lower levels of albumin in the urine than those who took placebo. Elevated levels of albumin in the urine are a marker of risk for kidney and heart disease."
Does that mean doctors may begin prescribing Viagra to pre-diabetic patients? The study authors say we’re not at that point yet, but the findings do open avenues of research for potential new treatments.
“Because existing drug therapies to prevent Type 2 diabetes can have negative effects on the heart or be of limited use in patients with kidney disease, strategies to prevent diabetes without adversely affecting the risk of kidney and heart disease could have a large impact on public health,” Nancy J. Brown, MD, of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, said. “Further studies will be needed to determine whether long-term treatment with drugs like sildenafil can prevent the onset of diabetes in high-risk patients.”
