Scientists say Viagra could help to tackle obesity

Erectile dysfunction (ED) medications such as Viagra and Cialis are obviously known for their potency in helping men to achieve and maintain an erection that is satisfactory for sex. It must worth bearing in mind however that Viagra was initially developed at Pfizer’s Kent research facility many years ago as a treatment therapy for hypertension (high blood pressure) and angina pectoris (a symptom of ischaemic heart disease). It was only following clinical trials it was discovered that Viagra had significant effects of erections, and ironically rather ineffective for angina treatment like first anticipated.

With this in mind, scientists over the years have long wondered if sildenafil citrate (Viagra’s active ingredient) could work at treating any other health conditions, and studies are regularly carried out to determine what other uses it may have.

In 2012 TV gardener David Domoney claimed that simply crushing a 50mg tablet up and placing just a fraction of this into the water, could dramatically increase the life of flowers. Whereas others are adamant that Viagra’s positive impact on blood flow may be taken advantage of for athletes, with evidence to suggest that Viagra can boost performance levels in certain sports.

The latest clinical study into the wonders of Viagra has now unearthed the possibility that its active ingredient may be utilised in the obesity epidemic that is particularly problematic here in the UK and the U.S. too.

Researchers from the University of Bonn and the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Germany were the ones who made the discovery, and now their findings may open up possibilities for the 500 million people around the globe who are classified as either overweight or obese.

Currently, many such people are turning to weight loss aids such as Alli, Xenical, and XLS-Medical, and the German study suggests that their predicament may have been prevented through sildenafil.
Like so many others do, the researchers used mice for study purposes and administered the ED medication to the mice for seven days and monitored the effect (if any) of their fat cells. Amazingly, it was found that the rodents appeared to be resistant to obesity even when fed a diet high in fat.

Sildenafil works by interfering with a signalling chain of the messenger cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), which allows the inflow of blood and an erection. Alexander Pfeifer, professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Bonn, who led the study, commented why Viagra was chosen in the study, saying: “We have been researching the effect of cGMP on fat cells for quite some time now. This is why sildenafil was a potentially interesting candidate for us.”

Ana Kilic, Pfeifer’s colleague, spoke on their findings after the seven day period, saying: “The effects were quite amazing. Sildenafil increased the conversion of white fat cells, which are found in human ‘problem areas’, into beige ones in the animals. Beige fat cells burn the energy from ingested food and convert it to heat.” As these beige cells also ‘melt the fat’, researchers are now optimistic that Viagra could be used as a powerful weapon against obesity.

If white fat cells are continually getting ‘stuffed’ or experience a build-up of lipids, they become enlarged and can synthesize and release hormones which then results in inflammation and a higher risk of  developing chronic diseases.

These inflammatory responses then accelerate cardiovascular diseases. Heart attacks, strokes, cancer and diabetes are then likely following this. However, Pfeifer continued:  “It seems that sildenafil prevented the fat cells in these mice from getting onto that slippery slope.”

Have you ever watched an American National Football League (NFL) game and wondered just where the players get all of their pumped-up excitement, energy and adrenaline from? Well, according to Chicago Bears’ wide receiver Brandon Marshall, it comes from an unlikely source indeed. The NFL star spoke recently saying that a potential performance enhancer comes in the shape of the little blue diamond-shape erectile dysfunction wonder medication known as Viagra.

UK audiences are only sporadically treated to the hard-hitting action of a live NFL game, with just a handful of matches being played on English soil in recent years. However Wembley Stadium will host an unprecedented two regular-season National Football League matches during 2013, giving Brits a chance to possibly see the effects of what Viagra can do to these buffed-up athletes.

Marshall sparked the Viagra furore last Wednesday when he was quizzed about an ever-growing number of player suspensions related to various amphetamines, including the ADHD drug Adderall. Marshall said he didn’t know about any players using Adderall or much about that particular drug, but interestingly claimed that Viagra has been used by NFL players as a way to boost energy-levels.

He said: “I know guys, it is such a competitive league, guys try anything just to get that edge. I’m fortunate enough to be blessed with size and some smarts to give me my edge. But some guys, they’ll do whatever they can to get an edge. I’ve heard of some crazy stories. I’ve heard guys using like Viagra, seriously. Because the blood is supposedly thin, some crazy stuff. So, you know, it’s kind of scary with some of these chemicals that are in some of these things, so you have to be careful.”

Maybe Marshall is getting confused with the high volume of dangerous Viagra counterfeits that are doing the rounds when he mentions about these scary chemicals. Genuine Pfizer-manufactured Viagra as supplied by Medical Specialists Pharmacy, contains an active ingredient named ‘sildenafil citrate’ that was once developed for the treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure) as well as angina pectoris (a symptom of ischaemic heart disease). Although proved largely ineffective for angina, it was noted in clinical trials that sildenafil citrate could greatly improve penile erections and then was subsequently approved for use in treating erectile dysfunction.

It is still open for debate though if Marshall’s comments do have some substance to them. Back in 2008 The New York Times published the results study funded by the World Anti-Doping Agency. For the study, Viagra was given to many of the Marywood University’s school lacrosse team to test for any possible health benefits.  Viagra was never added to its banned substance list by WADA as they believed that there was insufficient evidence that the drug would improve athletic performance, in spite of wide belief that an increased blood flow to the penis would also similarly work in other muscles actually needed on a football field.

In addition, Dr. Olivier Rabin, science director at the World Anti-Doping Agency in Montreal, says he does not believe Viagra manages to work at boosting performance in NFL players. In contrary to popular belief, he also said nothing exists to prove that Viagra is effective mask the use of steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs.

Dr. Rabin continued and suggested that Viagra could prove beneficial for athletes competing at high altitudes as Viagra help to dilate blood vessels, with vessels in the lungs being quite constricted in high altitude climates.

This was a subject covered in great detail back in July by Medical Specialists, just prior to the London 2012 Summer Olympics. Here, we reported that Viagra was not banned from any of the competing athletes and summarised with: “In summary, then, Viagra is useful for the treatment of ED and PAH. Although there is some evidence of performance-enhancing effects on athletic performance (in some individuals) at altitude, there is no evidence that Viagra improves performance in typical athletic activities.”

So it seems the debate goes on as people around the world argue whether or not Viagra has any definite benefits for athletes. There are many studies that have shown benefits could be seen for high-altitude athletes such as cyclists and climbers. For now though, we can be certain that Viagra is hugely effective at combating erectile dysfunction and at least performance in the bedroom will see a boost. Genuine Pfizer Viagra is available to suitable patients after an online consultation with one of our in-house Doctors. It will then be dispensed by our in-house Pharmacy, and delivered to your required destination within just 24 hours.