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Study: People With More Mentally Stimulating Jobs Less Likely to Get Alzheimer's

Imperial College London researchers in Great Britain will explore the effectiveness of gingko to determine if physicians should recommend it to their patients who are experiencing the early signs of dementia.

Used in traditional Chinese medicine for at least 5,000 years, Gingko is an extract derived from the gingko tree.

Involving 250 patients, the study will seek to find out whether physicians can help patients by prescribing the supplement to those with memory loss, one of the early symptoms of dementia.

This will be the first study to test gingko as a treatment for those who are still living in the community and are being treated by their physicians. Previous trials have concentrated on patients receiving hospital care, where memory loss and dementia is often more advanced.

"We believe gingko may prove more effective if prescribed in a community setting, where patients' symptoms are usually less severe," explained lead researcher Dr. James Warner, a psychiatrist from Imperial College London and St. Mary's Hospital. "This trial will help us to find out whether with gingko it's a case of the sooner the better for patients who may benefit from taking it."

Gingko is believed to cause blood vessels to dilate, improving blood flow to the brain, and to thin the blood, making it less likely to clot. Gingko may also have antioxidant effects, protecting nerve cells against biological rusting.

"All of these effects would suggest that gingko might slow down a degenerative process such as dementia," said Warner, who noted that gingko could provide a much cheaper alternative to conventional medicines, with fewer of the potential side effects such as nausea, loss of appetite, tiredness and diarrhea.

Participants in the trial will continue to take their conventional medicines for age-associated memory loss. For six months they will be given 60 milligrams of gingko extract or a placebo twice daily. Researchers will examine each individual's cognitive functioning, their memory, quality of life and behavior.

Source: Medical Week staff, week of August 19, 2004