CNN on Supplements
CNN reports on the more widely acclaimed “mental supplements”. Including fish oil, gingko biloba, and vitamin e. All of these supplements are proven to be safe, but do they actually help delay or prevent cognitive decline? CNN publishes recent studies, professional opinion, and medicinal theory. The overall verdict is that there is no real evidence that any of these supplements/vitamins should be taken in order to prevent mental decline.
Gingko biloba is a popular botanical supplement that comes from one of the oldest living tree species. Its leaves are thought to have antioxidant properties. Research has suggested that this herbal medicine improves blood flow to the brain and protects nerve cells, and thus may be used to boost memory in people with dementia.
But a study of more than 3,000 people, followed for six years, could not find any effect of delaying or preventing Alzheimer's disease or improving memory. The latest published results were in the Journal of the American Medical Association in December.
"I do not believe that data suggest it has a role to play in prevention," senior author Dr. Steven DeKosky, dean of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, said in an e-mail.
The research did show, however, that the supplement is safe. It is also relatively inexpensive, "so if people insist on taking it, I do not object," DeKosky said.
The prevention trial has ended, but the group is still working on the mounds of data collected from participants, ages 72 to 96, DeKosky said.
They are also going to look at whether the presence or absence of amyloid plaques, a marker of Alzheimer's in the brain, predicts participants' cognitive status over the next five years. A smaller portion of people in the study will take part in a brain imaging study to examine what portion of normal 85-year-olds have these amyloid plaques.
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