A surprising new health benefit has emerged from the sex drug Viagra – which means 3million ageing Britons could have strengthened bones.
The little blue tablet was found to increase the production of vital bone cells, preventing back pain and fractures in old age.
Sildenafil – also known as Viagra – can help human stem cells transform into osteoblasts which help the human skeleton regenerate as it is completely replaced roughly once every 10 years.
As humans get older, they lose more bone than is built, increasing the risk of breaks or osteoporosis, which makes bones brittle and painful.
Follow-up tests on mice by Peking University also suggested a prevention of bone loss.
Dr Menglong Hu and Dr Likun Wu told MailOnline: ‘Our findings offer new insights into the physiological effects of the medicine.
‘Sildenafil enhanced stem cell osteogenic differentiation and inhibited bone loss — it may usefully treat osteoporosis.’
Viagra was invented as a heart drug in the 1980s before being found to help with erectile dysfunction.
Some studies suggest it may also help reduce the risk of dementia.
However, the have been cautions over the years that the drug could have some negative side effects, in particular if taken too much.
A large quantity of the drug could result in a painful, ‘uncomfortably and disproportionately large erection’ called a priapism which could go on for hours.
Some experts also found regularly taking the common drug may raise the risk of three serious eye conditions.
Common side effects may include headaches, hot flushes, nausea, indigestion, dizziness and a stuffy nose.
Nearly half of men between the ages of 40 and 70 suffer from erectile dysfunction in the UK – this is more than 4.5 million people.
Though, reports suggest Viagra is now even becoming increasingly popular with younger individuals in their 20s and 30s.
Last year, it emerged Viagra may help prevent dementia by boosting blood flow in the brain.
Dr Alastair Webb, a neurologist and study author at Oxford University said: ‘This is the first trial to show that sildenafil gets into the blood vessels in the brain in people with this condition, improving blood flow and how responsive these blood vessels are.’
