Gingko does Zilch for the brain! Part 1

For decades, alternative health care practitioners have been hyping the long term benefits of ginkgo for maintaining good mental function and cognition. There are thousands of anecdotal reports from vendors of this herbal supplement that it has “magical” brain stimulating properties. Now there is a study that finds that all the hype about gingko is false- the herb really does not slow down mental decline.

Led by Dr Steven DeKosky from the University of Virginia, six major US institutions looked at Gingko supplements and showed no discernible differences in the herb versus a sugar pill. The researchers looked at the effects of gingko on several brain tasks including attention, memory, concentration, language and cognition. The results revealed that gingko did not make one iota of difference compared to the sugar pill in improving any single brain function. This is the largest and longest study spanning over a mean of 6 years which has looked at effects of gingko on the brain. An earlier study led by the same team showed that ginkgo did zilch in preventing or delaying Alzheimer’s dementia. In the present study, more than 3,000 elderly volunteers between the ages 72-96 participated.

Can Gingko Biloba prevent dementia? part 2

This was the first comprehensive study with a large number of volunteer community members. The study included individuals with mild cognitive impairment but those with moderate to severe dementia were excluded. Individuals who were on other types of memory drugs like Aricept were also excluded. All individuals underwent comprehensive neurophysiological testing and were randomized to receive either placebo (sugar pill) or G Biloba (120 mg twice a day). Re-evaluations were done every 6 months.

Individuals who started to develop cognitive impairment had to undergo neuropsychological testing and results were evaluated by an independent panel. MRI was done to confirm dementia.

After 6 years, the results between placebo and Ginkgo were no different. Ginkgo did not prevent dementia nor did it enhance memory. While ginkgo was found to be safe, a few individuals did develop bleeding in the brain.

Final point

This study finally answered the question whether G Biloba prevents dementia. The conclusion is that even in individuals with the mildest dementia, it did nothing. There are some who argue that perhaps G Biloba should have been administered for a longer period of time. However, researchers point out that if a supplement has not worked for 6 years, it is unlikely to work at all. Further and most important Gingko supplements do not come cheap and the cost of pills does add up. Considering that Gingko Biloba has finally been shown to be ineffective in treatment of dementia, it is time the consumer use his/her hard earned money for better use- like eating healthy and saving up for future home care services in case they are needed.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/584660

Can Gingko Biloba prevent dementia?

Health supplements have become a billion dollar industry. Every type of grass, weed, herb, plant, or fruit is now being advocated as a health supplement. Extracts from these products are extracted and made into a pill, liquid, potion, lotion, or cream and sold in mega amounts to consumers. One of these supplements is Gingko Biloba. It is perhaps one of the oldest natural health food supplements around and hyped up to treat many medical disorders. It is also one of the biggest money-maker in the field of herbal medicine.

Ginkgo Biloba leaf extracts have a long history in European medicine, where they have been used to treat early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, tinnitus and peripheral claudication. In the USA, Gingko is classified as a dietary supplement and there are various brands available.

The widespread use of Ginkgo for decades has led to many questions about its effectiveness. Over the years, many clinical trials have been conducted on gingko. The results have been mixed partly because some trials were not randomized, numbers of patients were small, proper inclusion and exclusion criteria were omitted and follow up was limited. Some clinical studies indicated that Gingko may have mild benefits in Alzheimer’s dementia but other studies claimed that it had no effect. Americans spend close to $100 million annually on gingko in the hope of preventing memory loss and also to boost memory.

To finally establish whether G. Biloba can prevent all types of dementia and Alzheimer disease, a group of researchers recently conducted the Ginkgo Enhancement of Memory (GEM) study, a multisite, randomized, controlled 6-year trial.