Men Live Longer (Happier?) Lives Taking ‘Little Blue Pill’; New Study Finds

The second study in two years shows Viagra might reduce the risk of heart disease in men. 

Researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) found that men who took the little blue pill experienced a 39% reduction in heart disease. 

USC researchers gathered data from 70,000 men with an average age of 52 who were diagnosed with erectile dysfunction within the last decade. They believe Viagra increases blood flow and oxygen into the heart and throughout the body. 

Viagra users also were 17% less likely to suffer heart failure and had a 22% reduction in developing unstable angina. All of those conditions are fatal if untreated. Men who used the drug achieved longer life and decreased the risk of early death by 25%. 

“Viagra was associated with lower incidence of [heart complications], cardiovascular death, and overall mortality risk compared to non-exposure,” the researchers wrote.

The last study, published in the American College journal of Cardiology and titled “Association of Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibitors Versus Alprostadil With Survival in Men With Coronary Artery Disease,” showed older men with cardiovascular disease who took the erectile dysfunction pill lived a healthier life. 

According to the American Heart Association, erectile dysfunction could be an early warning sign of heart disease in otherwise healthy men.