Study shows popular herbal supplement doesn’t slow mental decline
Reported December 29, 2009
TORONTO – A new study shows that popular herbal supplement ginkgo biloba does not help slow mental decline in older adults.
The Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) study examined whether a twice-daily 120-mg dose of the supplement affected the rate of cognitive change over time in older adults. U.S. researchers conducted randomized clinical trials of 3,069 participants aged 72 to 96 years, between 2000 and 2008.
They found no evidence that ginkgo might slow mental decline in healthy, aging individuals, or in people already showing the first signs of cognitive impairment.
The researchers found that the results remained the same regardless of sex, age, race or education.
The study, led by Dr. Steven T. DeKosky, of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, was published last week on The Journal of the American Medical Association.
Source : The Canadian Press
