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The impotency drug boosts blood flow, which could aid patients with dodgy hearts, and helps prevent the thickening of heart's main chamber.
Sex drug Viagra could help men suffering from heart disease, a study suggests.
Trials found that the impotency pill’s principle active ingredient helped patients with dodgy hearts by boosting blood flow.
Most importantly, it helped prevent the thickening of the heart’s main pumping chamber caused by it having to work too hard.
The condition, known as left ventricular hypertrophy, can lead to heart failure, an inability to pump blood around the body.
Lead researcher Dr Andrea Isidori, from Sapienza University, Rome, said: “We found the main ingredient in Viagra can be an effective, safe treatment for heart disease.
“Large clinical trials are urgently needed to build on these encouraging findings.”
Viagra contains an enzyme inhibitor that allows smooth muscle tissue to be more relaxed. This aids blood flow and combats erectile dysfunction.
The Italian team pooled data from 1,622 patients who took part in trials looking at the ingredient’s heart protection potential.
The chemical, PDE5i, effectively prevented the heart increasing in size and changing shape in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy.
It also benefited patients with other heart conditions while maintaining healthy blood pressure.
PDE5i could safely be administered to men who suffer from heart muscle thickening and early stage heart failure.
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