Viagra helps men fight the flab as well as boost their sex life

Drug converts undesirable white fat cells into beige fat which burns calories instead of storing it

Tests in mice found it could also reduce the risk of obesity complications by tackling inflammation



Men who have trouble becoming aroused during sex have long relied on Viagra to give them a 'boost'. Now scientists have discovered a welcome side-effect - it can melt away that 'spare tyre' as well.



Researchers found t he drug converts undesirable white fat cells into beige fat, which burns calories instead of storing them in the waistline.



The substance also reduces the risk of other complications caused by obesity such as inflammation, which can lead to heart disease.

Could popping a sex drug help overweight men to fight the flab? It certainly works in mice, say scientists

Study leader Professor Alexander Pfeifer, from the University of Bonn, said: 'Sildenafil (Viagra) is not only able to minimize erectile problems, but it can also reduce the risks of gaining excessive weight.'

His team examined the effect of the sex drug on fat cells in mice after earlier tests revealed rodents treated with Viagra became resistant to obesity when fed a high-fat diet.



The researchers administered the potency drug to the rodents for seven days.



'The effects were quite amazing,' said co-researcher Dr Ana Kilic.



Sildenafil increased the conversion of white fat cells, which are found in human 'problem areas', into beige ones in the animals.



'Beige fat cells burn the energy from ingested food and convert it to heat', said Prof Pfeifer.



Because the beige fat cells can 'melt the fat' and thus fight obesity, researchers are very hopeful for their potential.

Tiny blue pills: Viagra is used to treat erectile dysfunction as well as a rare lung disease known as pulmonary hypertension

The researchers found the drug also prevented white fat cells from increasing in size and releasing hormones that in turn cause inflammation. This could potentially reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

'It seems that sildenafil prevented the fat cells in these mice from getting onto that slippery slope,' said Prof Pfeifer.



The team said these implications would need to be proven in additional studies.

More than half a billion people are overweight worldwide. A survey published last year revealed that just over a quarter of adults (26 per cent) in the UK are obese. The condition increases your risk of developing a number of potentially life-threatening diseases such as cancer and heart disease as well as type 2 diabetes.

Despite promising data in the latest study, researchers caution the public against assuming popping a Viagra pill will help them shed the pounds.



'We are currently in the basic research stage, and all the studies have been exclusively performed on mice,' said Prof Pfeifer.



Further research will be needed until potentially suitable drugs for decreasing white fat cells in humans will be found.