Four commonly used medicines could boost your life expectancy, new research suggests. The 12-year-long study, which has been recently published, looked at Viagra, hormone replacement therapy, statins and painkillers.
While the idea that prescription medicine may prolong life is not entirely new, examining specific details on how the individual medications can impact your health together is.
The research team investigated how Viagra, atorvastatin, naproxen, and oestrogen affected health. The medications were not taken as a cocktail.
The team used the UK Biobank data, which has the health information of over half a million people. Interestingly, the findings revealed that the largest difference in mortality rates was seen in women using oestrogen.
The key component of hormone replacement therapy was linked to a 25 percent lower risk of death when compared to women who didn’t take the hormone.
The scientists hypothesised that this may be down to HRT’s ability to improve strength as well as cut your risk of osteoporosis and falls which can be particularly dangerous.
Furthermore, Viagra, atorvastatin and naproxen were also found to provide benefits.
This isn’t the first study to link Viagra to positive effects. Research that came out earlier this year found that Viagra could provide a protective effect against Alzheimer’s disease.
Meanwhile, statins have been known to offer a shield against heart attacks and strokes.
Naproxen could be beneficial by reducing inflammation which, if not treated, can lead to an increased risk of chronic health conditions, ranging from heart disease to some cancers.
Alejandro Ocampo, from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, commented on the findings: “We don’t want to cure or treat a single disease, we want to prevent many of them.” This could in turn help boost your chances of a longer life.
The expert also explained that some of the drugs had a larger benefit on lifespan when taken at higher doses, which could support the theory that these drugs could reduce your risk of death from any cause.
While the new research found a positive correlation between taking each drug and living longer, the study’s authors also stressed the findings can’t be taken as definitive proof that the medicines will boost your life expectancy. They explained that randomised trials are now needed to confirm some of their conclusions.
