Hans your Jama article mademe curious. I inquried about it with some friends
andgot this information.  It seems to make referencce to the test the
article you refer to.  There seem to be enough inconsistencies in the
findings to draw definite conclusions at this time.

Council for Responsible Nutrition• Contact CRN 202.872.1488
• 1875 Eye Street, NW, Suite 400
• Washington, DC 20006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Judy Blatman 202-263-1005

New Study on Gingko Should Be Evaluated in Scientific Context

Washington, D.C., August 20, 2002 — The Council for Responsible Nutrition
(CRN), in response to a new study to be published Aug. 21 on ginkgo (Ginkgo
biloba L.) in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), urged
consumers to judge the results in the context of the very large body of
clinical evidence on this well-studied botanical.

"This study should not be viewed as the definitive word on the subject, but
simply one more addition to an extensive amount of scientific information,
much of it positive, on ginkgo," said John Cardellina, Ph.D., vice
president, botanical science and regulatory affairs, CRN. "This study adds
to our body of knowledge, but is certainly not the final word on the
subject."

Ginkgo is one of the most clinically studied of all the botanicals in the
marketplace. More than 120 clinical studies of ginkgo have been conducted to
date, the majority focused on memory and cognitive function in elderly
patients with modestly impaired mental function. Most of the studies show
significant, demonstrable benefit.

An Expert Review of the Safety and Benefits of Botanicals, a new report to
be issued in the fall by CRN and the American Botanical Council (ABC),
includes an evaluation of the clinical evidence accrued to date for ginkgo.
The panel of 11 experts, spanning a wide range of scientific

and medical expertise, found that there was clear evidence of benefit from
ginkgo for memory and cognitive function in adults with early stage mental
impairment and in cases of peripheral vascular disease (intermittent
claudication).

The evidence for benefit in cognitive function and memory in unimpaired
adult populations is mixed, with some trials showing benefit and others,
like this latest study, showing none.

According to Jerry Cott, Ph.D., a psychopharmacologist and a member of the
expert panel, "This is clearly an area that would benefit from additional,
carefully designed research. As new studies are developed, three factors
should be strongly considered in the study design: first, the size of the
population to be studied, so that results have statistical significance for
the effects to be measured. For example, a study of normal elderly is really
a population study requiring many thousands of subjects over several years,
whereas a study of mild cognitive impairment could be accomplished with a
more reasonable number of subjects in a shorter period of time. The second
factor is the specific effects to be measured and the means to measure them
accurately, and the third is the dose or dose range to be investigated to
achieve the sought-after effects."


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) is one of the dietary supplement
industry’s leading trade associations representing ingredient suppliers and
manufacturers.

Note to Editor: To arrange an interview with CRN scientists, John
Cardellina, Ph.D., or Annette Dickinson, Ph.D., please contact Judy Blatman
at 202-263-1005.


To arrange an interview with Jerry Cott, Ph.D., contact 301-935-5343 or
202-746-9693 (cell phone).




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----- Original Message -----
From: "Hans van der Genugten" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, September 09, 2002 4:15 PM
Subject: Ginkgo for Memory Enhancement


> Source:    JAMA. 2002;288:835-840
> Date:        August 21, 2002
>
> Full text available at
> http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v288n7/rfull/joc11334.html
>
> Ginkgo for Memory Enhancement
>
> A Randomized Controlled Trial
>
> Paul R. Solomon, PhD; Felicity Adams, BA; Amanda Silver, BA;
> Jill Zimmer, BA; Richard DeVeaux, PhD
>
> Context
> Several over-the-counter treatments are marketed as having the ability to
> improve memory, attention, and related cognitive functions in as little as
4
> weeks. These claims, however, are generally not supported by
well-controlled
> clinical studies.
>
> Objective
> To evaluate whether ginkgo, an over-the-counter agent marketed as
enhancing
> memory, improves memory in elderly adults as measured by objective
> neuropsychological tests and subjective ratings.
>
> Design
> Six-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group
trial.
>
> Setting and Participants
> Community-dwelling volunteer men (n = 98) and women (n = 132) older than
60
> years with Mini-Mental State Examination scores greater than 26 and in
> generally good health were recruited by a US academic center via newspaper
> advertisements and enrolled over a 26-month period from July 1996 to
> September 1998.
>
> Intervention
> Participants were randomly assigned to receive ginkgo, 40 mg 3 times per
day
> (n = 115), or matching placebo (n = 115).
>
> Main Outcome Measures
> Standardized neuropsychological tests of verbal and nonverbal learning and
> memory, attention and concentration, naming and expressive language,
> participant self-report on a memory questionnaire, and caregiver clinical
> global impression of change as completed by a companion.
>
> Results
> Two hundred three participants (88%) completed the protocol. Analysis of
the
> modified intent-to-treat population (all 219 participants returning for
> evaluation) indicated that there were no significant differences between
> treatment groups on any outcome measure. Analysis of the fully evaluable
> population (the 203 who complied with treatment and returned for
evaluation)
> also indicated no significant differences for any outcome measure.
>
> Conclusions
> The results of this 6-week study indicate that ginkgo did not facilitate
> performance on standard neuropsychological tests of learning, memory,
> attention, and concentration or naming and verbal fluency in elderly
adults
> without cognitive impairment. The ginkgo group also did not differ from
the
> control group in terms of self-reported memory function or global rating
by
> spouses, friends, and relatives. These data suggest that when taken
> following the manufacturer's instructions, ginkgo provides no measurable
> benefit in memory or related cognitive function to adults with healthy
> cognitive function.
>
> JAMA. 2002;288:835-840
>
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