HHS says ginkgo biloba may not be effective in helping treat dementia

WASHINGTON The Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday suggested that the dietary supplement ginkgo biloba is not able to prevent the disease state of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, through its HHS HealthBeat, a service launched in 2005 that provides health promotion and disease prevention tips five days a week in audio and text formats.

The Department cited a study of more than 3,000 people over the age of 75 who had normal thinking ability at the start who were either given a ginkgo supplement or a placebo. “The test results showed us that, under these circumstances, ginkgo don’t appear to have any effect of slowing down thinking changes in late life,” stated Steven DeKosky of the University of Virginia, who conducted the study while at the University of Pittsburgh.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was supported by the National Institutes of Health.