BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhuanet)-- Taking Ginkgo biloba every day, a widely used herbal supplement, does not prevent cognitive decline, dementia, or Alzheimer's disease in elderly patients, U.S. researchers said as quoted by media reports Thursday.

    Older patients who took the supplement had no less a decline in memory, attention, language, or other cognitive measures than those on placebo, Dr. Steven DeKosky of the University of Virginia and colleagues reported in the Dec. 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

    The researchers examined 3,069 people aged 72 or older between 2000 and 2008, with half of them taking 120 mg of Ginkgo biloba twice a day and half receiving a placebo.

    The researchers found that the two groups did not differ in terms of improvement of memory, attention, visuo-spatial ability, language or other brain functions. 

    "If one thought that ginkgo might maintain cognition and prevent or delay decline in some thinking associated with aging, it did not do that," Dr. Steven DeKosky said.

    DeKosky and colleagues previously found that Ginkgo biloba was not effective in reducing the incidence of Alzheimer's dementia or dementia overall.

    Gingko biloba for years has been touted as an herbal supplement that can maintain and improve memory and brain function as we age.

(Agencies)