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Ginkgo biloba and dementia study in Journal of the American Medical Association
Comments by Dr. Jack Diamond, Scientific Director, Alzheimer Society of Canada, November 20, 2008
An extensive clinical trial has now been completed in the US on the effectiveness of Ginkgo biloba in preventing Alzheimer's disease, or in reducing or reversing its progression.
The results of this trial (reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association) are both unexpected and disappointing. Included in the trial were 3,069 community volunteers 75 and older. Most were cognitively normal, but 482 had mild cognitive impairment. About half were given two doses of 120 milligrams of Ginkgo biloba extract daily, while the other half received placebo pills (an inert substitute). Neither the participants nor the doctors knew who was receiving which pills.
The volunteers were followed for over six years and assessed every six months for dementia. During the study period, 523 cases of dementia were diagnosed. Half of them were people taking Ginkgo biloba, and half were receiving the placebo. There was a suggestion from the results that Ginkgo might have reduced the incidence of vascular dementia somewhat, but this will need further study. The message seems clear. The high hopes that Ginkgo could help one from developing Alzheimer's disease have been thoroughly dashed.
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