Ginkgo biloba doesn’t prevent Alzheimer’s

January, 2013

The second large-scale study investigating whether gingko biloba helps prevent Alzheimer’s has confirmed that it doesn’t.

Sad to say, another large study has given the thumbs down to ginkgo biloba preventing Alzheimer’s disease.

The randomized, double-blind trial took place over five years, involving 2854 older adults (70+) who had presented to their primary care physician with memory complaints. Half were given a twice-daily dose of 120 mg standardised ginkgo biloba extract and half a placebo.

After five years, 4% of those receiving ginkgo biloba had been diagnosed with probable Alzheimer's disease, compared with 5% in the placebo group — an insignificant difference. There was no significant difference between the groups in mortality, stroke, or cardiovascular events, either.

The French study confirms the findings of an earlier American trial, and is also consistent with another large, long-running study that found no benefits of ginkgo biloba for age-related cognitive decline.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-09/l-gbe090412.php

Reference: 

[3240] Vellas, B., Coley N., Ousset P-J., Berrut G., Dartigues J-F., Dubois B., et al.
(2012).  Long-term use of standardised ginkgo biloba extract for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease (GuidAge): a randomised placebo-controlled trial.
The Lancet Neurology. 11(10), 851 - 859.

Related News

Visual impairment associated with a decline in cognitive function

A study involving more than 2,500 older adults (65+) found that the rate of worsening vision was associated with the rate of cognitive decline. More importantly, vision has a stronger influence on cognition than the reverse.
Hearing loss linked to increased cognitive decline & dementia risk

Hearing loss linked to increased dementia risk
Sleep problems linked to age-related cognitive problems

Chronic insomnia linked to memory problems
Inflammation linked to brain health

Link found between chronic inflammation and Alzheimer's gene risk
Smoking, hypertension, diabetes & obesity each linked to poor brain health

Brain scans of 9,772 people aged 44 to 79, who were enrolled in the UK Biobank study, have revealed that smoking, high blood pressure, high pulse pressure, diabetes, and high BMI — but not high cholesterol — were all linked to greater brain shrinkage, less

Air pollution substantially reduces cognitive ability in older adults

A large Chinese study involving 20,000 people has found that the longer people were exposed to air pollution, the worse their cognitive performance in verbal and math tests. The effect of air pollution on verbal tests became more pronounced with age, especially for men and the less educated.
Depression linked to faster cognitive decline in older adults

A review of 34 longitudinal studies, involving 71,244 older adults, has concluded that depression is associated with greater cognitive decline.
Fruit & veges slow memory decline in long-running study

A study following nearly 28,000 older men for 20 years has found that regular consumption of leafy greens, dark orange and red vegetables and berry fruits, and orange juice, was associated with a lower risk of memory loss.
Poor sleep drives Alzheimer’s progression

Poor sleep has been associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease, and this has been thought to be in part because the protein amyloid beta increases with sleep deprivation. A new study explains more.
Exercise improves brain function in older adults with MCI

A small study has found that a 12-week exercise program significantly improved cognition in both older adults with

Pages

more
Subscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest health newsSubscribe to Latest news