Ginkgo – Good and Bad News

A three-year study of ginkgo biloba aged 85 and above has been reported in the journal Neurology Online. So I’ll start with the good news.

Of 118 patients with no memory problems, the half that took ginkgo (actually took it, rather than just being enrolled in the study) had a lower risk of developing mild memory problems; a 68% lower risk, in fact. They also had a significantly smaller decline in memory scores, compared with the half taking a placebo.

And now the bad news. In this study more strokes and mini-strokes (transient ischemic attacks, or TIAs) were seen in the ginkgo users. Seven people on ginkgo had strokes, while none of those on placebo did. Though ginkgo has been associated with a bleeding tendency, all these strokes were ischemic (i.e. thrombotic).

All this means one can’t really recommend ginkgo – at least, I can’t. Everyone must make their own risk/benefit judgment. Is the benefit (a slightly reduced memory decline) worth the risk (an increased risk of stroke)? You decide. Or await further studies, as the investigators in this one advise.