Researchers are reporting that the largest and longest independent clinical trial to assess ginkgo biloba’s ability to prevent memory loss has found that the supplement does not prevent or delay dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

The study is the first trial large enough to accurately assess the plant extract’s effect on the incidence of dementia, experts said, and the results dashed hopes that it is an effective preventative. In fact, there were more cases of dementia among participants who were taking ginkgo biloba than among those who were taking a placebo, though the difference was not statistically significant.

For the trial, researchers from five academic medical centers in the United States recruited 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 were provided with placebo pills. Neither the participants nor the doctors knew who was receiving which pills. They were followed for a median of 6.1 years and assessed every six months for dementia.

During the study period, 523 cases of dementia were diagnosed. Of those, 246, or 16.1 percent, were in placebo users, and 277, or 17.9 percent, were in people taking ginkgo biloba.

 

 

Source:wallstreetjournal.com

The Silver Alert system notifies law enforcement agencies and the general public when an adult has disappeared or has gone missing. Recent reports suggest that up to 14 million seniors will develop Alzheimer’s disease in the next few decades, and that up to half of them are likely to wander. The bill would allow for up to $5 million per year between 2009 and 2013 to be spent implementing the silver alert system.

The bill, the National Silver Alert Act (H.R. 6064), also would reauthorize Kristen’s Act, which was established to create a national database to track missing adults who are endangered due to age or diminished mental capacity. The Kristen’s Act re-authorization would provide an additional $4 million per year over the next decade to help families locate and recover missing adults.