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Popular men's health drug linked to unexpected muscle-boosting effects
Fox News • • science
Key Points:
- Researchers in Italy found that tadalafil, the active ingredient in Cialis, may promote muscle regeneration by increasing muscle precursor cell numbers and survival in mouse muscle cells studied in a lab setting.
- The drug appeared to aid muscle repair by encouraging growth and reducing cell death but also delayed the maturation of fully developed muscle cells, suggesting it may not enhance muscle size or function in humans.
- The study was limited to mouse models over seven days, and researchers caution that further animal and human trials are necessary to understand long-term effects and clinical relevance.
- Experts emphasize that while the findings are promising for muscle tissue repair, tadalafil is not proven to build muscle or improve recovery in people and carries risks such as dangerous blood pressure drops when combined with nitrates.
- Current best practices for muscle health remain resistance training, adequate protein intake, and quality sleep, and tadalafil should not be used for muscle building based on these early laboratory results.
