Reports of heart protection from an ED medication are very premature

Reports of heart protection from an ED medication are very premature

It’s a little blue pill, sort of shaped like a football, it’s used by men who need to overcome a certain dysfunction, and its name rhymes with Niagara. So we’ll just call it Niagara to avoid any problems with your Internet provider’s junk mail filter.

According to a new study, Niagara protects the heart from high blood pressure by enhancing the effects of a protein known as RGS2. Here’s how researchers found this new benefit: First they induced high blood pressure in mice. Then they observed that mice whose hearts contained RGS2 had reduced stress-related enzyme activity and stronger heart muscle action when given Niagara.

Okay…interesting experiment. But it’s just a LITTLE bit early for Ivanhoe Newswire to run this headline: “How Niagara Protects the Heart.” Or the Washington Post: “Niagara May Shield Heart from Blood Pressure Damage.”

Before men sign up for a daily Niagara pill to protect their hearts, they might want to read up on a study in which researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles analyzed Niagara post-marketing adverse event reports. Out of nearly 1,500 reports, more than 500 included deaths, mostly linked with cardiovascular events. About two-thirds of the deaths occurred within five hours of taking Niagara. And in the majority of deaths, victims had no previous cardiac problems.

Of course, none of these reports included mice with induced high blood pressure.

Source:
“Viagra May Cause Heart Attack Deaths In Younger Men With No Heart Problems, Study Finds” PSA Rising, 3/15/00, psa-rising.com