Should we forget about Ginkgo biloba?

William Atkins
Saturday, 10 January 2009 19:47

Science - Health

According to the Science News article, the long-term U.S. trial “… casts serious doubt on ginkgo’s usefulness…” to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

In addition, the SN article states that a European study is now being conducted along the same lines as this U.S. study.

Dr. KeKosky stated that if the European findings are similar with the U.S. study (G. biloba does not prevent Alzheimer’s disease), then “that would clinch it.”

Besides Dr. DeKosky, the other researchers participating in the study were Jeff D. Williamson, Annette L. Fitzpatrick, Richard A. Kronmal, Diane G. Ives, Judith A. Saxton, Oscar L. Lopez, Gregory Burke, Michelle C. Carlson, Linda P. Fried, Lewis H. Kuller, John A. Robbins, Russell P. Tracy, Nancy F. Woolard; Leslie Dunn, Beth E. Snitz, Richard L. Nahin, and Curt D. Furberg.

They were all a part of the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) Study Investigators

The authors are affiliated with: University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (DeKosky, Saxton, Lopez, Kuller, Snitz, Ives and Dunn); Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina (Williamson, Burke, Furberg, and Woolard).

And, the others are affiliated with: University of Washington, Seattle (Fitzpatrick and Kronmal); Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland (Carlson and Fried); University of California–Davis, Sacramento (Robbins); University of Vermont, Burlington (Tracy); National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland (Nahin); and University of Virginia, Charlottesville (DeKosky).