Ginkgo biloba has no effect on Alzheimer's, dementia

 

By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY

The popular botanical ginkgo biloba does not improve memory nor does it prevent cognitive decline in older people, according to the largest and longest scientific study ever undertaken to look at the supplement.

An extract derived from the ginkgo tree, ginkgo biloba has been touted since the 1970s by the supplement industry and others as an aid to improving memory, cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Ginkgo extract has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 500 years, according to the American Botanical Council.The study finding is "disappointing news," says Steven DeKosky, dean of the University of Virginia School of Medicine and the study's senior author. The only positive thing the researchers found is that ginkgo appears to be safe, he says.The results are from the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory study, funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a center of the National Institutes of Health. The randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study was conducted at six medical centers and involved more than 3,000 people between ages 72 and 96 for seven years. The report is in today's Journal of the American Medical Association. The first set of results from the study, published last year, found that a twice-daily dose of 120 milligrams of ginkgo biloba extract was not effective in reducing the incidence of Alzheimer's dementia or dementia overall.This new paper looked at the same results to see if ginkgo biloba extract had any effect on cognitive decline in older adults, specifically memory, visual-spatial construction, language, attention, psychomotor speed and executive function. It found no effect."It just continues to show that in properly designed, placebo-controlled studies, we can't seem to find an effect for ginkgo biloba," says Lon Schneider, an Alzheimer's and gerontology expert at the University of Southern California. The size of this study is larger than all previous ginkgo biloba studies combined, he says.Douglas MacKay, vice president for scientific and regulatory affairs at the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a supplement industry trade group, disputes the study's findings."There is a large body of previously published evidence, as well as ongoing trials, which suggest that ginkgo biloba is effective for helping to improve cognitive impairment in older adults," he says.U.S. sales for ginkgo biloba were $99 million in 2008, down 8% from 2007 but still placing it the 8th most popular herb and botanical that the Nutrition Business Journal tracks.

 

Summary (The summary must be objective and thoroughly explain the argument from the author's perspective)

     1. Give the title and author of the article in the body of the paragraph to give credit where it is due. (When referring back to the author in the article, use their last name or full name. You are not on a first name basis with them!

    2. What is the argument and conclusion of the issue according to the author?

    3. Explain, in depth, the study that was given as a reason in support of the author's conclusion. Make sure to include sample size, who was involved in the study, the methods - or how the study was conducted, the data that was gathered, and any conclusions made by the author and/or researcher.

Analysis of the Argument and Study 

   1. What do you think are the underlying value assumptions that drove the researcher to conduct this study? 

   2. Do you think the study was good enough to support the argument? Why or why not? Think about who took part in the study, the length of the study, and what the participants in the study did. Also, could the researchers be biased toward getting a particular outcome? Remember, this is where critical thinking comes into play. Show me you have understood and can critically respond to what you’ve read. 

   3. What could have made the study better? More people? Length? Methods? Be specific. 

   4. Do you think the conclusion (look at the title of the article) of the author who wrote the article is misleading to the reader? Do they read more into the study than even the researchers? What effect could this have on people reading the article and making decisions about lifestyle? 

   5. If you were writing a paper about this topic, would you be compelled to use this research as a reason to support your argument? Why or why not?

Response 

   1. After reading the article, what do you think about this issue? This is where you give your conclusion and reasons why you feel that way. Think about your own value assumptions and how that might drive your thinking. Would this research compel you to make changes in your life, or does it support what you already do, or possibly someone you know or have read about? Try to make a connection in some way – were you or someone you know in a situation related to this issue? Describe it. Or maybe another story in the news is like the issue. 

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