Ginkgo Biloba Does Not Reduce Dementia Risk, Study Shows

piggy submitted, created time 1 month 3 weeks (www.sciencedaily.com)

The medicinal herb Ginkgo biloba does not reduce the risk of dementia or Alzheimer's disease development in either the healthy elderly or those with mild cognitive impairment, according to a large multicenter trial led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Findings from the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) Study, which is the first to have the necessary participant numbers and monitoring years to enable measurement of G. biloba's effectiveness and safety profile in dementia prevention, were just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease (AD), is a prevalent chronic disease currently affecting more than five million people in the United States and is a leading cause of age-related disability and long-term care placement, according to background information in the article. Ginkgo biloba is prescribed in some areas of the world for preservation of memory; however, there are no medications approved for prevention of dementia.

Keywords: dementia cognition alternative medicine herbal medicine ginkgo Ginkgo biloba Alzheimers disease