Saturday Quack – Ginkgo Still Oversold

Though it’s long been reported that ginkgo doesn’t do anything for improving memory in healthy people, it’s still very widely used in the hope that it might work. A new study, reported in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, examined its possible benefits in older adults without dementia or cognitive impairment. (This was because of some reports of beneficial effects in Alzheimer’s patients.)

Ninety healthy men and women were given a commercial ginkgo supplement or a placebo for 9 months. The supplement contained 160 mg ginkgo biloba,68 mg gotu kola, 180 mg docahexaeonic acid (DHA, the omega-3 fatty acid), 100 mg bioflavonoid concentrate, and 300 IU vitamin A (beta carotene). Cognitive function was measured using a battery of tests at the start and end of the study period.

In the 87% of subjects who completed the study, baseline cognitive function was ‘above average’, the investigators report. There were no significant differences in cognitive function, quality of life tests, platelet function, or adverse events between the supplement-takers and the no-treatment group.

The investigators suggest that the high baseline scores might have contributed to the absence of findings. I prefer to believe that the substances just don’t work in healthy people.