Although sildenafil (the active ingredient in the Viagra pill) is best known for its effects on fighting erection problems, it can also help you lose weight by helping the body store fat in the form of "brown fat" (healthier ) instead of "white fat" (more insane) .
Its potential to combat obesity has nothing to do with its effects on sexual activity. As Alexander Pfeifer and his colleagues at the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Bonn (Germany) explain in The FASEB Journal , this happens because sildenafil inhibits the degradation of a molecular messenger called cyclic GMP that controls blood pressure, prevents the secretion of pro-inflammatory hormones and decides what type of fat we store, "changing the semaphore of fats, from white to brown", as Pfeifer explains.
In experiments with mice, the scientists found that as the cyclic GMP circulating through the body increases, the fat "ready to burn calories" also increases, while the adipose tissue accumulated in the abdomen and waist decreases. According to the authors, identifying that a drug already approved and well known to experts could help combat the obesity epidemic in this way is very positive. If the results are confirmed in humans, in a very short time Viagra could be prescribed for weight loss.
