These commonly prescribed alpha-blockers are typically used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a condition marked by an enlarged prostate. By relaxing the muscles in the prostate and bladder neck, these medications help alleviate symptoms such as frequent or painful urination. Jacob Simmering, the study’s lead author and assistant professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine in the Carver College of Medicine explained to The Epoch Times that previous research indicated these medications activate an enzyme involved in ATP production, which cells use for energy.
“We theorized that the increased energy in the cell may help prevent the build-up of certain harmful proteins in the brain associated with dementia with Lewy bodies,” he said. The researchers analyzed data from more than 600,000 men who began treatment with one of the three prostate drugs or with two other types of prostate medications—tamsulosin and 5α-reductase inhibitors (5ARIs). “We identified men who were newly started on one of these three medications and a comparison group of men who were started on one of three other BPH medications,” said Mr.
Simmering. The other two medications are “thought to have no effect on dementia risk.” The findings revealed that men taking terazosin, doxazosin, or alfuzosin had a significantly lower risk of developing LBD compared to those taking tamsulosin or 5ARIs.
Specifically, the .
