Viagra could help prevent diabetes, a new study shows

forget avoding sugar. People at risk for diabetes should consider popping Viagra.

Viagra (Pfizer)

 

The popular impotence drug may help ward off type 2 diabetes by improving the body’s ability to use insulin, according to a new study.

The study, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, found that Viagra enhanced "insulin sensitivity" in overweight, pre-diabetic people.

But anyone thinking about rushing to get their hands on the little blue pills may want to hold off for a while.

The Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers noted that the trial was small, focusing on only 42 patients.

"Further studies will be needed to determine whether long-term treatment with drugs like (Viagra) can prevent the onset of diabetes in high-risk patients," the study’s lead author Dr. Nancy Brown said in a release.