{"id":16430,"date":"2016-01-09T07:02:28","date_gmt":"2016-01-09T14:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.accessrx.com\/blog\/?p=16430"},"modified":"2016-01-09T07:02:28","modified_gmt":"2016-01-09T14:02:28","slug":"potential-breakthrough-viagra-might-help-prevent-type-2-diabetes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction\/viagra\/potential-breakthrough-viagra-might-help-prevent-type-2-diabetes\/","title":{"rendered":"Potential Breakthrough: Viagra Might Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Viagra\"
It seems as if new potential uses for Viagra are being discovered every year.<\/figcaption><\/figure> Viagra, a drug that belongs to a drug class known as PDE-5 inhibitors, has numerous uses in treating conditions other than erectile dysfunction.<\/p>\n

Sildenafil, the name of the active ingredient in Viagra, has shown promise in treating an astonishing range of health conditions, from restricted fetal growth to altitude sickness to benign lymphatic tumors in young children. Viagra and the other drugs in the PDE-5 inhibitor class, such as Cialis, Levitra, and Staxyn, are effective against erectile dysfunction because they allow blood vessels to relax so that blood flows more readily to the penis in the presence of sexual stimulation.<\/p>\n

It turns out there are many health conditions having nothing to do with erectile dysfunction that can also benefit from the improved blood flow that can result from PDE-5 inhibitors. One of the most important non-ED treatments sildenafil is used for is pulmonary arterial hypertension, a serious and potentially fatal lung disease. And now it appears that the active ingredient in Viagra could help prevent type 2 diabetes in men and women who are at risk for the disease.<\/p>\n

Use of Other Drugs to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes in At-Risk Patients<\/b><\/p>\n

Men and women at risk of developing type 2 diabetes are generally encouraged to adopt healthier lifestyle habits, like regular exercise and a healthier diet that’s lower in sugar than the typical American diet. Additionally, some people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes take oral anti-diabetic drugs as a preventative measure.<\/p>\n

Indeed, some of these drugs appear to significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Drugs called thiazolidinediones (sold under trade names Actos and Avandia), as well as drugs known as alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (Precose and Glyset) and biguanides (Glucophage and Glumetza) have been shown to reduce relative risk<\/a> of development of diabetes in at-risk patients compared with control groups who took a placebo.<\/p>\n

The problem with these drugs is that they can have negative effects on the heart and kidneys. Sildenafil, on the other hand, may offer protection against type 2 diabetes without increasing risks for heart or kidney disease. It does this by increasing insulin sensitivity.<\/p>\n

What Is Insulin Sensitivity?<\/b><\/p>\n

Insulin sensitivity is simply how sensitive the body is to insulin<\/a>. Someone with good insulin sensitivity doesn’t need as much insulin to lower blood glucose levels compared to someone who is less sensitive to insulin. Impaired sensitivity to insulin is sometimes called insulin resistance, a condition that is often a precursor to development of type 2 diabetes. Low sensitivity to insulin indicates that the body has trouble metabolizing glucose. Often the body will attempt to compensate for this condition by simply producing more insulin.<\/p>\n

The problem with that is, high levels of circulating insulin can damage blood vessels and increase blood pressure, causing long-term health problems including heart disease. By increasing the body’s sensitivity to insulin, the body doesn’t have to dump large quantities of insulin into circulation to metabolize glucose. Lifestyle changes can improve insulin sensitivity, but it appears that sildenafil may offer another way to do so that may be safer than taking the drugs that are currently used to prevent development of type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n

Why Viagra May Be a Better Choice than Current Preventative Treatments<\/b><\/p>\n

A study of 42 men and women<\/a> was funded by the US National Institutes of Health and took place at Vanderbilt University to determine whether and how Viagra affected insulin sensitivity. The study participants were overweight and considered pre-diabetic. Patients were randomly assigned to take 25 mg of Viagra three times per day or a placebo over the course of three months.<\/p>\n

At the end of three months, the people who had been taking Viagra had greater insulin sensitivity than the placebo group. More intriguing still was that the Viagra group had lower levels of albumin in their urine (a marker for heart and kidney disease risk) compared to the placebo group.<\/p>\n

Lead study author Dr. Nancy Brown said that because the existing preventative therapies for type 2 diabetes can have negative effects on the heart and because they may be of limited use in people with kidney disease, the results of the Viagra study were especially promising. It could prevent type 2 diabetes without negative effects on the kidneys or increasing heart disease risk. Though a much larger study is needed to clarify results and determine longer term effects, sildenafil as a type 2 diabetes preventative could ultimately have a significant effect on public health.<\/p>\n

The Costs of Type 2 Diabetes<\/b><\/p>\n

Without preventative treatment, nearly one-third of people considered to be pre-diabetic will go on to develop type 2 diabetes within five years. Type 2 diabetes has enormous associated costs to society in terms of healthcare costs, longevity, and productivity. In 2012, the total estimated cost of diagnosed diabetes was $245 billion<\/a>, with $176 billion in direct medical costs and the rest in reduced productivity.<\/p>\n

Medical expenditures in treating diabetes include hospital inpatient care, prescription medications, diabetes supplies, and even residential facility stays. Someone with diagnosed diabetes on average has medical expenditures of more than twice what they would be if that person didn’t have diabetes. Care for people with diabetes accounts for more than one of every five healthcare dollars spent in the US. Indirect costs attributable to diabetes, in terms of absenteeism, reduced productivity, or inability to work also account for billions of dollars each year.<\/p>\n

\"Viagra\"
Type 2 diabetes costs hundreds of billions of dollars per year.<\/figcaption><\/figure> Market Still Strong for Viagra and Other Erectile Dysfunction Drugs<\/b><\/p>\n

The PDE-5 inhibitor drug class may be finding a variety of new potential uses, but the market is still quite strong for these drugs in treating erectile dysfunction, as they were originally brought onto the market to do. Globally, drug treatment for erectile dysfunction is expected to be a $3.2 billion per year industry<\/a> by 2022, and that’s despite the fact that several drugs will go off-patent and face competition from generics before that time. Viagra accounted for 47% of revenue from erectile dysfunction drugs in 2014 and is still considered the “first line” treatment for ED. If sildenafil, the active ingredient, is put to work treating other medical conditions, Pfizer could keep more of its market share even after the threat of generic ED medications becomes real.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/b><\/p>\n

Yet another possible use case for sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, has been discovered, and it’s a big one: potential prevention of type 2 diabetes, which is essentially an epidemic in the US. eDrugstore.com<\/a> has worked for over 15 years with US-licensed pharmacists to dispense Viagra and other lifestyle drugs to over half a million customers. Our goal is to provide competitive pricing, the ultimate in convenience, and the best, most secure customer experience. We invite you to have a look at our blog posts<\/a> about Viagra and other important healthcare topics.\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Viagra, a drug that belongs to a drug class known as PDE-5 inhibitors, has numerous uses in treating conditions other than erectile dysfunction. Sildenafil, the name of the active ingredient in Viagra, has shown promise in treating an astonishing range of health conditions, from restricted fetal growth to altitude sickness to benign lymphatic tumors in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16431,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_autoblog_aioseo_focus_keyphrase":"","_autoblog_aioseo_title":"","_autoblog_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[184],"class_list":["post-16430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-viagra","tag-viagra"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t