WASHINGTON – The little blue pill prescribed for erectile dysfunction may be on its way to helping people shed pounds.

The New York Times reports Viagra helped burn excess fat in laboratory mice, according to researchers at the University of Bonn in Germany.

They found Viagra changed undesirable white fat cells to energy-burning fat cells in mice. White fat cells are a problem for humans as well as mice — they’re responsible for the fat around our waistlines.

Researchers say people shouldn’t ask their doctors to prescribe the blue pill for weight loss yet, as the FDA has only approved Viagra for a specific purpose.

WTOP’s Veronica Robinson contributed to this report. Follow @VRobWTOP and @WTOP on Twitter.

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