Ever since it was invented in the late 1990s, Viagra has been one of the biggest sources of solace for men struggling with their performance in bed, or whatever reason that could lead to erectile dysfunction. But now, turns out that Aspirin is an equally potent substitute that could treat the problem, a new study has revealed.
Just one 100mg pill a day for six weeks was able to significantly reduce blood circulation issues in men, a Turkish research found.
Also read: Foods to avoid to boost your sex drive
The problem of erectile dysfunction can be identified as an incapability to insert one's penis in partner's vagina, or as simple as their erection not lasting long enough for successful sexual intercourse.
This particular groundbreaking study involved a total of 184 male participants, 120 of whom took aspirin and the rest 64 took placebo.
Right at the beginning of the study, 70 out of 184 men – all aged 48, more or less – could not achieve an erection. Towards the end, they found their 'erectile function score' had gone up from 14.3 to 30, in case of less than 50 percent of the participants, and to 21.3 for more than 75 percent of them.
During the six-week course of the study, all the men were asked primarily two questions:
- Were you able to insert your penis into partner's vagina?
- Did your erection last long enough for you to have successful intercourse?
Fifty percent of the placebo group and 51.3 percent of the aspirin group answered the first question in positive at the beginning. For the second one, 31.6 percent of the placebo and 31.2 of the aspirin groups said 'yes'.
By the end, after taking aspirin for six weeks, there was a striking difference in the responses from the aspirin group. The first question was responded with a 'yes' by 88.3 percent while 78.3 percent of them answered 'yes' to the second.
There were changes observed in the responses of the placebo group too but they weren't as significant as the aspirin one. Just 59.3 percent of them answered 'yes' to the first question and 43.5 percent answered 'yes' to the second.
This was based on the universally accepted Index of Erectile Function scale. The statistics were also revealed to be not quite far from what's usually achieved by Viagra – which is between 48 to 81 percent.
The study is also the first of its kind to assess how therapy to thin platelets in the blood could affect erectile dysfunction, even though past studies have linked arousal issues with high platelet volume in the blood.
The lead author of the study, Dr Zeki Bayraktar, of Istanbul Medipol University, shared that some men have a larger platelet volume than others, as Daily Mail Online reported. Those larger platelets produce more thromboxane – 'the most potent' blocking agent to circulation.
However, experts and urologists have asked men to take this particular study with a pinch of salt since it didn't cover a large group of men – especially patients with conditions that carry risks of erectile dysfunction, such as diabetes, hypertension, and coronary artery disease.
"Although the study adds to the growing body of evidence linking endothelial dysfunction to ED, the results must be reproduced prior to drawing conclusions regarding aspirin therapy for prevention and treatment of ED," Darshan P. Patel, MD, of the Division of Urology at the University of Utah School of Medicine, shared with Renal and Urology News.
It is also to be noted that aspirin is no longer an OTC drug – meaning it cannot be bought without a prescription, but the costs of it are an absolute advantage considering the price of Viagra.
Plus if it embarrasses one to seek a little medical spur for their erectile issues, aspirin being a regular drug can be bought without anybody shooting judgmental stares your way either!
