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Gingko Does Zilch for the Brain! Part 2

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Dr. DeKosky, Vice Dean of the School of Medicine, at the University of Virginia, says, "For me, this kind of closes the book on whether or not, if you start taking ginkgo later in life, you are going to have cognitive benefit. We don't have good evidence that it maintains good brain health."

He goes on to add, "Quite frankly, one of the things that surprised us was that for an extract that has been around for this long, there ought to be a signal of some sort, or we ought to see some effect for it to have maintained its reputation for so long. And we didn't."

And what do alternative health care workers say about the study?

Says Douglas Mackay, Vice President of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a principal trade association of dietary-supplement makers, "What we would really like to see is additional research. What we would not like to see is this study closing the door on answering other questions or subsets of questions on ginkgo."

So what does all this mean for the consumer?

There are always some die hard alternative health care fans who will continue to believe in the mythological properties of gingko. For those who are undecided and have common sense -- save your hard earned money on gingko. If you want to have a healthy brain -- eat well, exercise regularly and stop believing everything that you read on cyberspace!

Dec. 29, 2009 Journal of the American Medical Association

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Shamir Benji
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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.