Ginkgo biloba for prevention of dementia: a randomized controlled trial
DeKosky ST, et al
Published in JAMA
Methodology
Large multicentre randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled prevention trial (GEM study) in community-dwelling adults aged 75 and older, with dementia adjudicated by an expert panel using standardized criteria.
Key Findings
Over a median of about six years, Ginkgo biloba 120 mg twice daily did not reduce the incidence of all-cause dementia or Alzheimer disease compared with placebo in older adults with normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment; event rates were similar in both arms.
Conclusions
In this study, G. biloba at 120 mg twice a day was not effective in reducing either the overall incidence rate of dementia or AD incidence in elderly individuals with normal cognition or those with MCI.
Limitations
Adherence declined over the long follow-up, participants were relatively healthy volunteers, and the trial cannot exclude benefit for cognitive symptoms distinct from dementia prevention.
Supplements Studied
G. biloba at 120 mg twice a day was not effective in reducing either the overall incidence rate of dementia or AD incidence in elderly individuals with normal cognition or those with MCI.
Related Health Concerns
Study Details
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Disclosures
Funding
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and other US National Institutes of Health institutes; study product supplied by Schwabe Pharmaceuticals.
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