Ginkgo Extract May Improve Cognition and Decrease Stress for Computer Users

Reviewed: Kaschel R, Hoerr R, Kresimon J, Rychlik R. The influence of ginkgo special extract EGb 761� on the performance of healthy subjects at computer workstations�open-label clinical study in pre-post design with a control group. Translation from J Pharmako u Ther. 2007;Jan:3-9.
Clinical studies have shown that ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba, Ginkgoaceae) can improve cognitive performance and stress tolerance in healthy people and in elderly people with dementia. Studies using the special ginkgo extract EGb 761� have demonstrated improvements in brain function, emotional stability, mental capacity, attention, and coping with stress in healthy people. People who work at computer workstations for much of the day may suffer from health disorders such as fatigue, lack of concentration, irritability, and mental stress. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of EGb 761 on the performance of healthy people at computer workstations and to identify suitable tests to evaluate those effects.

The study was an open-label pilot study involving healthy people who were 45 years of age or older and who spent at least 50% of their workday in front of a computer. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Osnabruck in Germany. Following a 2-week run-in period in which the subjects were trained on specific computer tests, the subjects completed baseline measurements of reaction capacity, sustained attention, eyesight sensitivity, stress perception, and quality of life. After the baseline measurements, subjects were allowed to choose if they wanted to be in the control group receiving no ginkgo or in the treatment group receiving 120 mg of ginkgo extract EGb 761 twice daily for 8 weeks (Tebonin�; Dr. Willmar Schwabe GmbH & Co., Karlsruhe, Germany). All subjects repeated the baseline tests after the 8-week treatment period ended, and the tolerability of EGb 761 was assessed.

The study enrolled 104 subjects, 84 of which completed the study according to the protocol. In the sustained attention test (a measure of long-term concentration) the number of errors made by subjects in the ginkgo group decreased significantly after 8 weeks compared to the control group (P = 0.035). Perceived stress scores improved significantly in the ginkgo group (P = 0.007), and the �vitality� portion of the quality of life evaluation improved significantly in the ginkgo group (P = 0.004) compared to the control group. No significant differences were found between the 2 groups for reaction capacity after the 8-week treatment period. No serious adverse events were reported for either group, and the tolerability of EGb 761 was judged to be good.

The authors conclude that EGb 761 treatment produced clear objective and subjective improvements in concentration, perceived stress, and quality of life in people working at computer workstations much of the day. The authors assess the results to be particularly significant for people over 45 years of age, because that population group is more likely to perceive computer work as more stressful than a younger population. The authors recommend that a more extensive double-blind trial should be conducted using the tests identified in this study.

The results of this study are consistent with previous studies showing improvements in cognitive performance and stress tolerance. However, the authors provide results for only one of the eight �domains� of the quality of life evaluation (the SF-36 Health Survey). It is not known if ginkgo supplementation had any effect on the remaining seven domains, and this would be of interest to other researchers and readers.

The authors state that the results show that improvements relevant to everyday functioning at work may be attained with EGb 761 treatment, in conjunction with an increase in stress reduction and quality of life.

Since the participants could choose which group they wanted to be in, there is a high likelihood that those entering the ginkgo group had a strong bias towards the efficacy of ginkgo. The control group is not only a control for ginkgo but also a control for a placebo effect. There is no way to know if the improvements were due to ginkgo or placebo effect. This study was financed by the ginkgo manufacturer and supported by an insurance association.

Music makes a Difference

Music therapy can temporarily bring dementia and Alzheimer's patients back to reality and help them relate to their families. It may even reduce their need for medication.

Often, patients who have lost verbal ability still can sing or make music. Music therapists are trained musicians who create live music with patients. Drum circles are one way music therapists restart the communication process for alzheimer's patients, who may beat to their own rhythm at first but eventually get in sync with each other.

There are many colleges teaching music therapy, and these therapists are board ceritifed. For more info about music therapy, contact: American Music Therapy Association at 301-589-3300 or visit www.musictherapy.org

Obesity Can Increase Dementia Risk By Up To 80 Percent, Study Suggests

Obesity may increase adults’ risk for having dementia, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Their analysis of published obesity and dementia prospective follow-up studies over the past two decades shows a consistent relationship between the two diseases.
Obesity increases the risk of dementia in general by 42 percent, Alzheimer's by 80 percent and vascular dementia by 73 percent, the new review suggests. Being underweight increases the general dementia risk by 36 percent. But researchers who carried out an international review of research since 1995 found no elevated risk in people who were normal or overweight.

“Our analysis of the data shows a clear association between obesity and an increased risk for dementia and several clinical subtypes of the disease,” said Youfa Wang, MD, PhD, senior author of the study and associate professor with the Bloomberg School’s Center for Human Nutrition. “Subjects with a healthy body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference saw a decreased risk for dementia than their counterparts with an elevated BMI or waist circumference.” Wang adds, “Preventing or treating obesity at a younger age could play a major role in reducing the number of dementia patients and those with other commonly associated illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease by up to 20 percent in the United States.”

Lead researcher May A. Beydoun, along with Wang and H.A. Beydoun attribute these findings to a systematic review of 10 previously published studies that examined the relationships between dementia or its subtypes and various measures of body fat. Based on a pooled analysis of their findings from 7 of the studies, baseline obesity compared to normal weight increased the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 80 percent on average. The team further concluded that being underweight also increases the risk of dementia and its subtypes. The studies cited in the meta-analysis were conducted in a number of countries, including the United States, Finland, Sweden and France, and contained middle-aged and older adults.

Previously published research defines dementia as not a single disorder, but a number of syndromes characterized by diverse behavioral, cognitive, and emotional impairments. The most common form is Alzheimer’s disease, with an estimated 5 million adults living with the disease in the United States alone.

“Currently, Alzheimer’s disease is the eighth leading cause of death among the elderly population in the United States. While more studies are needed to determine optimal weight and biological mechanisms associated with obesity and dementia, these findings could potentially decrease the number of people diagnosed with dementia and lead to an overall better quality of life,” said May A. Beydoun, a former postdoctoral research fellow at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

"Obesity and central obesity as risk factors for incident dementia and its subtypes: a systematic review and meta-analysis" was written by M. A. Beydoun, H. A. Beydoun and Y. Wang.

The research was funded by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.


Journal reference:

Obesity and central obesity as risk factors for incident dementia and its subtypes: a systematic review. Beydoun MA, Beydoun HA, Wang Y. Obesity Reviews. 9, pp 204-218. (May 2008). doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2008.00473.x