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Alzheimer's disease is a growing problem in America. Many have tried to ward it off with ginkgo biloba, but the largest and longest clinical trial of the supplement has found it does not prevent nor delay Alzheimer's.
Ginkgo biloba is one of the most popular over-the-counter herbal supplements in the world. Long-promoted and widely used as a memory aid, the pills pull in roughly $250 million in sales each year.
But now, hard evidence in a disappointing study: When it comes to dementia, especially Alzheimer's, ginkgo biloba is a bust. "Ginkgo is not worth, not worth paying for," said Dr. Michale Weiner.
Weiner is an Alzheimer's expert at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. "This study shows very convincingly that ginkgo does nothing to slow down or to prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease," he said.
To date, there is no cure for Alzheimer's. But there are inexpensive steps you can take now that may reduce the risk.
"I would say having fun, keeping busy doing challenging things, and maintaining your general health are all probably going to help you have a less chance of Alzheimer's," Weiner said.
Remember anything that is good for heart. That means keeping your blood pressure and cholesterol levels low; and instead of ginkgo, try exercise.
The kind of exercise that really gets you short of breath and builds up a sweat, and really hard exercise -- 20, 30 minutes of aerobic exercise -- may be helpful. We're not sure, but it certainly doesn't hurt," Weiner said.
There are dozens of experimental drugs to treat Alzheimer's now in the pipeline, and researchers are coming up with newer ways to diagnose the disease in its early stages.
E-mail: drkim@ksl.com
