Victoria Chinatown

pa href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/gingko4.jpg" img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-609" style="margin: 8px;" title="gingko4" src="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/gingko4.jpg" alt="" width="270" //aa href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gRrHkoXVBLmxXtEyM4T_BFsFNUEAD94HJP9G0" target="_self"AP/a, a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20081119.BECK19/TPStory/specialScienceandHealth/columnists" target="_self"Globe and Mail/a, a href="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081118/ginkgo_dementia_081118/20081118?hub=Health" CTV/a ? a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"Ginkgo biloba/a, the herbal supplement that is sold in health-food stores as a memory enhancer, does not prevent the onset of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a or a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/alzheimers/" class="kblinker" title="More about Alzheimer raquo;"Alzheimer/a#8217;s disease, new research suggests./p pThe study is the largest and longest a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/glossary/#Ginkgo%20biloba" class="kblinker" title="More about Ginkgo biloba raquo;"ginkgo biloba/a trial performed to date.!--more--/p pThe a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dietary/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dietary"dietary/a supplement ginkgo, long promoted as an aid to memory, didn#8217;t help prevent a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a and Alzheimer#8217;s disease in the longest and largest test of the extract in older Americans. #8220;We don#8217;t think it has a future as a powerful anti-a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a drug,#8221; said Dr. Steven DeKosky of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, who led the federally funded study./p blockquotepemstrongA note on a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a/strong/em: a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"Dementia/a refers to progressive symptoms such as a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/memory-loss/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with memory loss"memory loss/a, mood changes and a decline in the ability to talk, read and write caused by damage or changes to the brain. After Alzheimer#8217;s disease, the most common cause of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a is stroke. This type is referred to as vascular a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a./p pAlzheimer#8217;s disease affects about 300,000 Canadians over the age of 65, according to the Alzheimer#8217;s Society of Canada. It is the most common form of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a, has no cure, and is a progressive, degenerative disease that destroys brain cells./p/blockquote pExtracts from ginkgo tree leaves have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, but earlier research on ginkgo and memory showed mixed results. Annual U.S. sales of the supplement reached $107 million in 2007, according to Nutrition Business Journal estimates./p pFor the new study, appearing in Wednesday#8217;s a href="http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/300/19/2253" target="_blank"Journal of the American Medical Association/a, researchers recruited more than 3,000 people, ages 75 and older, from voter and mailing lists in Maryland, Pennsylvania, California and North Carolina./p pHalf were randomly assigned to take 120 milligrams of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"ginkgo biloba/a twice a day, a typical dose taken by people who think it may help memory. The others took identical dummy pills./p pParticipants were screened for a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a every six months. After six years, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a had been diagnosed at a similar rate in both groups; 277 in the ginkgo group and 246 in the group taking the dummy tablets. When the researchers looked only at Alzheimer#8217;s disease, that rate too was similar./p pThe findings showed:/p ul li3.3 a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a cases per 100 persons per year in the a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"Ginkgo biloba/a group compared to 2.9 cases among the placebo group./li li3.0 Alzheimer#8217;s cases per 100 persons per year in the a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"Ginkgo biloba/a group compared to 2.6 among the placebo group./li /ul pAt the start, some people showed mild difficulties with thinking; ginkgo didn#8217;t work to prevent a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a in those people either./p pGinkgo appears relatively safe, DeKosky said. There was no difference in the rate of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/adverse-events/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with adverse events"adverse events/a such as heart attacks and gastrointestinal bleeding between the groups. There were 16 strokes from bleeding in the brain in the ginkgo group versus eight in the placebo group, a difference that wasn#8217;t statistically significant, he said, because the number of strokes was too small./p pPeople on the blood thinner warfarin shouldn#8217;t take ginkgo because of the risk of increased bleeding./p pProponents claim ginkgo protects the brain by preventing the buildup of an Alzheimer#8217;s-related protein or by preventing cell-damaging oxidative stress./p pWould ginkgo work better to prevent a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a if people started taking it earlier, say, in middle age? The study didn#8217;t look at that, DeKosky acknowledged, adding that following people for 25 years from middle age to old age would be expensive research. The study also didn#8217;t test whether ginkgo improves thinking and memory in the short term./p p#8220;It would have been terrific if this worked. It#8217;s inexpensive, available and relatively safe,#8221; said Paul Solomon, professor of neuroscience at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., who wasn#8217;t involved in the new study but has studied ginkgo./p p#8220;Now with this kind of evidence, you can confidently tell people it didn#8217;t show benefit in more than 3,000 people in six years of research,#8221; Solomon said./p pThere may still be a role for ginkgo in treating, rather than preventing, Alzheimer#8217;s disease, said Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association, a trade association./p pSome previous ginkgo trials have shown no benefit in Alzheimer#8217;s symptom treatment, while others have found it comparable to prescription drugs such as Aricept, also known as donepezil./p pThe a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a study was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health#8217;s National Centrr for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which is undertaking large, scientific tests of a number of commonly used a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dietary/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dietary"dietary/a supplements. The agency said it#8217;s the largest-ever randomized trial of a botanical medicine. There have been larger studies of vitamins and minerals./p blockquotepemstrongSide Effects and Cautions (From a href="http://nccam.nih.gov/health/ginkgo/" target="_blank"NCCAM/a)/strong/em/p ul li Side effects of ginkgo may include a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/headache/" class="kblinker" title="More about headache raquo;"headache/a, nausea, gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, dizziness, or allergic skin reactions. More severe allergic reactions have occasionally been reported./li liThere are some data to suggest that ginkgo can increase bleeding risk, so people who take anticoagulant drugs, have bleeding disorders, or have scheduled surgery or dental procedures should use caution and talk to a health care provider if using ginkgo./li liUncooked ginkgo seeds contain a chemical known as ginkgotoxin, which can cause seizures. Consuming large quantities of seeds over time can cause death. Ginkgo leaf and ginkgo leaf extracts appear to contain little ginkgotoxin./li /ul /blockquote pstrongGood strategies/strong/p pThe following strategies can help keep your heart and blood vessels healthy - and may also preserve your memory as you age (from Globe and Mail)./p blockquotepstrongReduce saturated and trans fats/strong/p pResearch has linked higher intakes of saturated (animal) a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a with a two- to threefold greater risk of Alzheimer#8217;s disease. Trans fats, found in many commercial baked goods and fried fast foods, have also been associated with an increased risk./p pChoose lean cuts of meat, poultry breast and low-a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a dairy products (1 per cent milk a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a or less). Prepare foods with unsaturated fats such as olive oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil or non-hydrogenated margarine. Eat avocado and almonds; both are good sources of heart-healthy monounsaturated a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a./p pstrongEat more fish/strong/p pSeveral studies have reported a lower risk of Alzheimer#8217;s disease and cognitive decline among older adults who eat fish at least twice a week. Oily fish such as salmon, trout, sardines and herring are excellent sources of DHA (docosohexanoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid that helps keep the lining of brain cells flexible so memory messages can pass easily between cells. Omega-3 fats also have anti-inflammatory effects in the brain./p pThe ideal intake of DHA for brain health is not known, but experts suggest a daily intake of 500 milligrams of DHA and EPA (eicosapentanoic acid) combined for heart health - an amount that can be obtained by eating three ounces of salmon twice a week. If you don#8217;t like fish, consider taking a fish-oil capsule./p pstrongIncrease vegetables/strong/p pA six-year study of 3,718 people aged 65 and older reported that those who ate at least two to four servings of vegetables a day - versus less than one - had a significantly slower rate of cognitive decline./p pResearch suggests that leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale, Swiss chard and rapini offer the greatest protection, probably because of their vitamin E content. (Vitamin E in foods is thought to protect brain cells from inflammation and free-radical damage.) While studies in humans have not found a link between fruit and cognitive decline, research in mice suggests blueberries can preserve memory./p pPhytochemicals called anthocyanins, plentiful in blueberries and cranberries, are thought to combat free radicals./p pstrongBoost B-vitamin foods/strong/p pAn adequate intake of vitamin B12 and folate helps control blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine. Having a high homocysteine level is thought to damage artery walls and increase the risk of Alzheimer#8217;s and other forms of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a./p pTo get your B vitamins, eat a varied diet. Good sources of folate include lentils, cooked spinach, asparagus, avocados and oranges. Vitamin B12 is found in lean meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, eggs and enriched a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/soy/" class="kblinker" title="More about soy raquo;"soy/a beverages. If you#8217;re over 50, get your B12 from a multivitamin supplement, since absorption of the nutrient from foods decreases with age./p pstrongStay active/strong/p pPhysical activity is associated with slower mental decline. Exercise, especially aerobic activity, increases blood flow to the brain and could help maintain the health of brain cells./p/blockquote p[a href="http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/300/19/2253" target="_blank"Vol. 300, No. 19, November 19, 2008/a]/p hr /smallChinese Medicine Newsbr / (66.150.96.121) Chinese Medicine News by Chinese Medicine News is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada License. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the licence terms originate from chinesemedicinenews.com. /small bTags: /ba href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/alzheimers/" title="Alzheimer's" rel="tag"Alzheimer's/a, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" title="dementia" rel="tag"dementia/a, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" title="ginkgo biloba" rel="tag"ginkgo biloba/abr / ul class="st-related-posts" lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/06/23/uk-pharm-has-high-hope-in-tcm-dementia-drug/" title="UK pharm has high hope in new TCM dementia drug (June 23, 2007)"UK pharm has high hope in new TCM dementia drug/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/01/27/new-drugs-awaiting-discovery-in-chinese-herbs/" title="New drugs awaiting discovery in Chinese herbs? (January 27, 2007)"New drugs awaiting discovery in Chinese herbs?/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2008/01/23/lingzhi-slows-progress-of-alzheimers/" title="Lingzhi slows progress of Alzheimer#8217;s (January 23, 2008)"Lingzhi slows progress of Alzheimer#8217;s/a (7)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/06/06/ginseng-gingko-biloba-wont-interfere-with-drug-absorption-if-taken-within-limit/" title="Ginseng, gingko biloba won#8217;t interfere with drug absorption if taken within limit (June 6, 2007)"Ginseng, gingko biloba won#8217;t interfere with drug absorption if taken within limit/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/12/29/ginkgo-ups-blood-flow-in-patients-with-coronary-artery-disease/" title="Ginkgo ups blood flow in patients with coronary artery disease (December 29, 2007)"Ginkgo ups blood flow in patients with coronary artery disease/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/06/25/acupuncture-stimulates-brain-metabolism-in-dementia-patients/" title="Acupuncture stimulates brain metabolism in dementia patients (June 25, 2007)"Acupuncture stimulates brain metabolism in dementia patients/a (1)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/04/10/acupressure-eases-alzheimers-agitation/" title="Acupressure eases Alzheimer#8217;s agitation (April 10, 2007)"Acupressure eases Alzheimer#8217;s agitation/a (0)/li /ul AP, Globe and Mail, CTV ? Ginkgo biloba, the herbal supplement that is sold in health-food stores as a memory enhancer, does not prevent the onset of dementia or Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests. The study is the largest and longest ginkgo biloba trial performed to date. The dietary supplement ginkgo, long promoted as an aid to pa href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/ChineseMedicineNews?a=rPuWhm"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/ChineseMedicineNews?i=rPuWhm" border="0"/img/a/pdiv class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=Wg4wN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=Wg4wN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=G2x0N"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=G2x0N" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=FZuZn"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=FZuZn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=18wtn"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=18wtn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=W2GnN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=W2GnN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=b4fJn"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=b4fJn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=kWadN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=kWadN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=n6KsN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=n6KsN" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ChineseMedicineNews/~4/458458931" height="1" width="1"/

pa href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/gingko4.jpg" img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-609" style="margin: 8px;" title="gingko4" src="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/gingko4.jpg" alt="" width="270" //aa href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gRrHkoXVBLmxXtEyM4T_BFsFNUEAD94HJP9G0" target="_self"AP/a, a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20081119.BECK19/TPStory/specialScienceandHealth/columnists" target="_self"Globe and Mail/a, a href="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081118/ginkgo_dementia_081118/20081118?hub=Health" CTV/a ? a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"Ginkgo biloba/a, the herbal supplement that is sold in health-food stores as a memory enhancer, does not prevent the onset of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a or a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/alzheimers/" class="kblinker" title="More about Alzheimer raquo;"Alzheimer/a#8217;s disease, new research suggests./p pThe study is the largest and longest a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/glossary/#Ginkgo%20biloba" class="kblinker" title="More about Ginkgo biloba raquo;"ginkgo biloba/a trial performed to date.!--more--/p pThe a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dietary/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dietary"dietary/a supplement ginkgo, long promoted as an aid to memory, didn#8217;t help prevent a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a and Alzheimer#8217;s disease in the longest and largest test of the extract in older Americans. #8220;We don#8217;t think it has a future as a powerful anti-a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a drug,#8221; said Dr. Steven DeKosky of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, who led the federally funded study./p blockquotepemstrongA note on a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a/strong/em: a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"Dementia/a refers to progressive symptoms such as a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/memory-loss/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with memory loss"memory loss/a, mood changes and a decline in the ability to talk, read and write caused by damage or changes to the brain. After Alzheimer#8217;s disease, the most common cause of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a is stroke. This type is referred to as vascular a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a./p pAlzheimer#8217;s disease affects about 300,000 Canadians over the age of 65, according to the Alzheimer#8217;s Society of Canada. It is the most common form of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a, has no cure, and is a progressive, degenerative disease that destroys brain cells./p/blockquote pExtracts from ginkgo tree leaves have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, but earlier research on ginkgo and memory showed mixed results. Annual U.S. sales of the supplement reached $107 million in 2007, according to Nutrition Business Journal estimates./p pFor the new study, appearing in Wednesday#8217;s a href="http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/300/19/2253" target="_blank"Journal of the American Medical Association/a, researchers recruited more than 3,000 people, ages 75 and older, from voter and mailing lists in Maryland, Pennsylvania, California and North Carolina./p pHalf were randomly assigned to take 120 milligrams of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"ginkgo biloba/a twice a day, a typical dose taken by people who think it may help memory. The others took identical dummy pills./p pParticipants were screened for a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a every six months. After six years, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a had been diagnosed at a similar rate in both groups; 277 in the ginkgo group and 246 in the group taking the dummy tablets. When the researchers looked only at Alzheimer#8217;s disease, that rate too was similar./p pThe findings showed:/p ul li3.3 a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a cases per 100 persons per year in the a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"Ginkgo biloba/a group compared to 2.9 cases among the placebo group./li li3.0 Alzheimer#8217;s cases per 100 persons per year in the a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"Ginkgo biloba/a group compared to 2.6 among the placebo group./li /ul pAt the start, some people showed mild difficulties with thinking; ginkgo didn#8217;t work to prevent a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a in those people either./p pGinkgo appears relatively safe, DeKosky said. There was no difference in the rate of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/adverse-events/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with adverse events"adverse events/a such as heart attacks and gastrointestinal bleeding between the groups. There were 16 strokes from bleeding in the brain in the ginkgo group versus eight in the placebo group, a difference that wasn#8217;t statistically significant, he said, because the number of strokes was too small./p pPeople on the blood thinner warfarin shouldn#8217;t take ginkgo because of the risk of increased bleeding./p pProponents claim ginkgo protects the brain by preventing the buildup of an Alzheimer#8217;s-related protein or by preventing cell-damaging oxidative stress./p pWould ginkgo work better to prevent a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a if people started taking it earlier, say, in middle age? The study didn#8217;t look at that, DeKosky acknowledged, adding that following people for 25 years from middle age to old age would be expensive research. The study also didn#8217;t test whether ginkgo improves thinking and memory in the short term./p p#8220;It would have been terrific if this worked. It#8217;s inexpensive, available and relatively safe,#8221; said Paul Solomon, professor of neuroscience at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., who wasn#8217;t involved in the new study but has studied ginkgo./p p#8220;Now with this kind of evidence, you can confidently tell people it didn#8217;t show benefit in more than 3,000 people in six years of research,#8221; Solomon said./p pThere may still be a role for ginkgo in treating, rather than preventing, Alzheimer#8217;s disease, said Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association, a trade association./p pSome previous ginkgo trials have shown no benefit in Alzheimer#8217;s symptom treatment, while others have found it comparable to prescription drugs such as Aricept, also known as donepezil./p pThe a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a study was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health#8217;s National Centrr for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which is undertaking large, scientific tests of a number of commonly used a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dietary/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dietary"dietary/a supplements. The agency said it#8217;s the largest-ever randomized trial of a botanical medicine. There have been larger studies of vitamins and minerals./p blockquotepemstrongSide Effects and Cautions (From a href="http://nccam.nih.gov/health/ginkgo/" target="_blank"NCCAM/a)/strong/em/p ul li Side effects of ginkgo may include a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/headache/" class="kblinker" title="More about headache raquo;"headache/a, nausea, gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, dizziness, or allergic skin reactions. More severe allergic reactions have occasionally been reported./li liThere are some data to suggest that ginkgo can increase bleeding risk, so people who take anticoagulant drugs, have bleeding disorders, or have scheduled surgery or dental procedures should use caution and talk to a health care provider if using ginkgo./li liUncooked ginkgo seeds contain a chemical known as ginkgotoxin, which can cause seizures. Consuming large quantities of seeds over time can cause death. Ginkgo leaf and ginkgo leaf extracts appear to contain little ginkgotoxin./li /ul /blockquote pstrongGood strategies/strong/p pThe following strategies can help keep your heart and blood vessels healthy - and may also preserve your memory as you age (from Globe and Mail)./p blockquotepstrongReduce saturated and trans fats/strong/p pResearch has linked higher intakes of saturated (animal) a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a with a two- to threefold greater risk of Alzheimer#8217;s disease. Trans fats, found in many commercial baked goods and fried fast foods, have also been associated with an increased risk./p pChoose lean cuts of meat, poultry breast and low-a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a dairy products (1 per cent milk a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a or less). Prepare foods with unsaturated fats such as olive oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil or non-hydrogenated margarine. Eat avocado and almonds; both are good sources of heart-healthy monounsaturated a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a./p pstrongEat more fish/strong/p pSeveral studies have reported a lower risk of Alzheimer#8217;s disease and cognitive decline among older adults who eat fish at least twice a week. Oily fish such as salmon, trout, sardines and herring are excellent sources of DHA (docosohexanoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid that helps keep the lining of brain cells flexible so memory messages can pass easily between cells. Omega-3 fats also have anti-inflammatory effects in the brain./p pThe ideal intake of DHA for brain health is not known, but experts suggest a daily intake of 500 milligrams of DHA and EPA (eicosapentanoic acid) combined for heart health - an amount that can be obtained by eating three ounces of salmon twice a week. If you don#8217;t like fish, consider taking a fish-oil capsule./p pstrongIncrease vegetables/strong/p pA six-year study of 3,718 people aged 65 and older reported that those who ate at least two to four servings of vegetables a day - versus less than one - had a significantly slower rate of cognitive decline./p pResearch suggests that leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale, Swiss chard and rapini offer the greatest protection, probably because of their vitamin E content. (Vitamin E in foods is thought to protect brain cells from inflammation and free-radical damage.) While studies in humans have not found a link between fruit and cognitive decline, research in mice suggests blueberries can preserve memory./p pPhytochemicals called anthocyanins, plentiful in blueberries and cranberries, are thought to combat free radicals./p pstrongBoost B-vitamin foods/strong/p pAn adequate intake of vitamin B12 and folate helps control blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine. Having a high homocysteine level is thought to damage artery walls and increase the risk of Alzheimer#8217;s and other forms of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a./p pTo get your B vitamins, eat a varied diet. Good sources of folate include lentils, cooked spinach, asparagus, avocados and oranges. Vitamin B12 is found in lean meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, eggs and enriched a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/soy/" class="kblinker" title="More about soy raquo;"soy/a beverages. If you#8217;re over 50, get your B12 from a multivitamin supplement, since absorption of the nutrient from foods decreases with age./p pstrongStay active/strong/p pPhysical activity is associated with slower mental decline. Exercise, especially aerobic activity, increases blood flow to the brain and could help maintain the health of brain cells./p/blockquote p[a href="http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/300/19/2253" target="_blank"Vol. 300, No. 19, November 19, 2008/a]/p hr /smallChinese Medicine Newsbr / (66.150.96.121) Chinese Medicine News by Chinese Medicine News is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada License. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the licence terms originate from chinesemedicinenews.com. /small bTags: /ba href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/alzheimers/" title="Alzheimer's" rel="tag"Alzheimer's/a, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" title="dementia" rel="tag"dementia/a, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" title="ginkgo biloba" rel="tag"ginkgo biloba/abr / ul class="st-related-posts" lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/06/23/uk-pharm-has-high-hope-in-tcm-dementia-drug/" title="UK pharm has high hope in new TCM dementia drug (June 23, 2007)"UK pharm has high hope in new TCM dementia drug/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/01/27/new-drugs-awaiting-discovery-in-chinese-herbs/" title="New drugs awaiting discovery in Chinese herbs? (January 27, 2007)"New drugs awaiting discovery in Chinese herbs?/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2008/01/23/lingzhi-slows-progress-of-alzheimers/" title="Lingzhi slows progress of Alzheimer#8217;s (January 23, 2008)"Lingzhi slows progress of Alzheimer#8217;s/a (7)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/06/06/ginseng-gingko-biloba-wont-interfere-with-drug-absorption-if-taken-within-limit/" title="Ginseng, gingko biloba won#8217;t interfere with drug absorption if taken within limit (June 6, 2007)"Ginseng, gingko biloba won#8217;t interfere with drug absorption if taken within limit/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/12/29/ginkgo-ups-blood-flow-in-patients-with-coronary-artery-disease/" title="Ginkgo ups blood flow in patients with coronary artery disease (December 29, 2007)"Ginkgo ups blood flow in patients with coronary artery disease/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/06/25/acupuncture-stimulates-brain-metabolism-in-dementia-patients/" title="Acupuncture stimulates brain metabolism in dementia patients (June 25, 2007)"Acupuncture stimulates brain metabolism in dementia patients/a (1)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/04/10/acupressure-eases-alzheimers-agitation/" title="Acupressure eases Alzheimer#8217;s agitation (April 10, 2007)"Acupressure eases Alzheimer#8217;s agitation/a (0)/li /ul AP, Globe and Mail, CTV ? Ginkgo biloba, the herbal supplement that is sold in health-food stores as a memory enhancer, does not prevent the onset of dementia or Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests. The study is the largest and longest ginkgo biloba trial performed to date. The dietary supplement ginkgo, long promoted as an aid to pa href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/ChineseMedicineNews?a=rPuWhm"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/ChineseMedicineNews?i=rPuWhm" border="0"/img/a/pdiv class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=Wg4wN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=Wg4wN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=G2x0N"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=G2x0N" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=FZuZn"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=FZuZn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=18wtn"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=18wtn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=W2GnN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=W2GnN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=b4fJn"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=b4fJn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=kWadN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=kWadN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=n6KsN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=n6KsN" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ChineseMedicineNews/~4/458458931" height="1" width="1"/

pa href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/gingko4.jpg" img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-609" style="margin: 8px;" title="gingko4" src="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/gingko4.jpg" alt="" width="270" //aa href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gRrHkoXVBLmxXtEyM4T_BFsFNUEAD94HJP9G0" target="_self"AP/a, a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20081119.BECK19/TPStory/specialScienceandHealth/columnists" target="_self"Globe and Mail/a, a href="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081118/ginkgo_dementia_081118/20081118?hub=Health" CTV/a ? a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"Ginkgo biloba/a, the herbal supplement that is sold in health-food stores as a memory enhancer, does not prevent the onset of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a or a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/alzheimers/" class="kblinker" title="More about Alzheimer raquo;"Alzheimer/a#8217;s disease, new research suggests./p pThe study is the largest and longest a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/glossary/#Ginkgo%20biloba" class="kblinker" title="More about Ginkgo biloba raquo;"ginkgo biloba/a trial performed to date.!--more--/p pThe a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dietary/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dietary"dietary/a supplement ginkgo, long promoted as an aid to memory, didn#8217;t help prevent a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a and Alzheimer#8217;s disease in the longest and largest test of the extract in older Americans. #8220;We don#8217;t think it has a future as a powerful anti-a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a drug,#8221; said Dr. Steven DeKosky of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, who led the federally funded study./p blockquotepemstrongA note on a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a/strong/em: a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"Dementia/a refers to progressive symptoms such as a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/memory-loss/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with memory loss"memory loss/a, mood changes and a decline in the ability to talk, read and write caused by damage or changes to the brain. After Alzheimer#8217;s disease, the most common cause of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a is stroke. This type is referred to as vascular a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a./p pAlzheimer#8217;s disease affects about 300,000 Canadians over the age of 65, according to the Alzheimer#8217;s Society of Canada. It is the most common form of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a, has no cure, and is a progressive, degenerative disease that destroys brain cells./p/blockquote pExtracts from ginkgo tree leaves have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, but earlier research on ginkgo and memory showed mixed results. Annual U.S. sales of the supplement reached $107 million in 2007, according to Nutrition Business Journal estimates./p pFor the new study, appearing in Wednesday#8217;s a href="http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/300/19/2253" target="_blank"Journal of the American Medical Association/a, researchers recruited more than 3,000 people, ages 75 and older, from voter and mailing lists in Maryland, Pennsylvania, California and North Carolina./p pHalf were randomly assigned to take 120 milligrams of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"ginkgo biloba/a twice a day, a typical dose taken by people who think it may help memory. The others took identical dummy pills./p pParticipants were screened for a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a every six months. After six years, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a had been diagnosed at a similar rate in both groups; 277 in the ginkgo group and 246 in the group taking the dummy tablets. When the researchers looked only at Alzheimer#8217;s disease, that rate too was similar./p pThe findings showed:/p ul li3.3 a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a cases per 100 persons per year in the a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"Ginkgo biloba/a group compared to 2.9 cases among the placebo group./li li3.0 Alzheimer#8217;s cases per 100 persons per year in the a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"Ginkgo biloba/a group compared to 2.6 among the placebo group./li /ul pAt the start, some people showed mild difficulties with thinking; ginkgo didn#8217;t work to prevent a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a in those people either./p pGinkgo appears relatively safe, DeKosky said. There was no difference in the rate of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/adverse-events/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with adverse events"adverse events/a such as heart attacks and gastrointestinal bleeding between the groups. There were 16 strokes from bleeding in the brain in the ginkgo group versus eight in the placebo group, a difference that wasn#8217;t statistically significant, he said, because the number of strokes was too small./p pPeople on the blood thinner warfarin shouldn#8217;t take ginkgo because of the risk of increased bleeding./p pProponents claim ginkgo protects the brain by preventing the buildup of an Alzheimer#8217;s-related protein or by preventing cell-damaging oxidative stress./p pWould ginkgo work better to prevent a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a if people started taking it earlier, say, in middle age? The study didn#8217;t look at that, DeKosky acknowledged, adding that following people for 25 years from middle age to old age would be expensive research. The study also didn#8217;t test whether ginkgo improves thinking and memory in the short term./p p#8220;It would have been terrific if this worked. It#8217;s inexpensive, available and relatively safe,#8221; said Paul Solomon, professor of neuroscience at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., who wasn#8217;t involved in the new study but has studied ginkgo./p p#8220;Now with this kind of evidence, you can confidently tell people it didn#8217;t show benefit in more than 3,000 people in six years of research,#8221; Solomon said./p pThere may still be a role for ginkgo in treating, rather than preventing, Alzheimer#8217;s disease, said Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association, a trade association./p pSome previous ginkgo trials have shown no benefit in Alzheimer#8217;s symptom treatment, while others have found it comparable to prescription drugs such as Aricept, also known as donepezil./p pThe a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a study was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health#8217;s National Centrr for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which is undertaking large, scientific tests of a number of commonly used a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dietary/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dietary"dietary/a supplements. The agency said it#8217;s the largest-ever randomized trial of a botanical medicine. There have been larger studies of vitamins and minerals./p blockquotepemstrongSide Effects and Cautions (From a href="http://nccam.nih.gov/health/ginkgo/" target="_blank"NCCAM/a)/strong/em/p ul li Side effects of ginkgo may include a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/headache/" class="kblinker" title="More about headache raquo;"headache/a, nausea, gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, dizziness, or allergic skin reactions. More severe allergic reactions have occasionally been reported./li liThere are some data to suggest that ginkgo can increase bleeding risk, so people who take anticoagulant drugs, have bleeding disorders, or have scheduled surgery or dental procedures should use caution and talk to a health care provider if using ginkgo./li liUncooked ginkgo seeds contain a chemical known as ginkgotoxin, which can cause seizures. Consuming large quantities of seeds over time can cause death. Ginkgo leaf and ginkgo leaf extracts appear to contain little ginkgotoxin./li /ul /blockquote pstrongGood strategies/strong/p pThe following strategies can help keep your heart and blood vessels healthy - and may also preserve your memory as you age (from Globe and Mail)./p blockquotepstrongReduce saturated and trans fats/strong/p pResearch has linked higher intakes of saturated (animal) a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a with a two- to threefold greater risk of Alzheimer#8217;s disease. Trans fats, found in many commercial baked goods and fried fast foods, have also been associated with an increased risk./p pChoose lean cuts of meat, poultry breast and low-a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a dairy products (1 per cent milk a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a or less). Prepare foods with unsaturated fats such as olive oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil or non-hydrogenated margarine. Eat avocado and almonds; both are good sources of heart-healthy monounsaturated a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a./p pstrongEat more fish/strong/p pSeveral studies have reported a lower risk of Alzheimer#8217;s disease and cognitive decline among older adults who eat fish at least twice a week. Oily fish such as salmon, trout, sardines and herring are excellent sources of DHA (docosohexanoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid that helps keep the lining of brain cells flexible so memory messages can pass easily between cells. Omega-3 fats also have anti-inflammatory effects in the brain./p pThe ideal intake of DHA for brain health is not known, but experts suggest a daily intake of 500 milligrams of DHA and EPA (eicosapentanoic acid) combined for heart health - an amount that can be obtained by eating three ounces of salmon twice a week. If you don#8217;t like fish, consider taking a fish-oil capsule./p pstrongIncrease vegetables/strong/p pA six-year study of 3,718 people aged 65 and older reported that those who ate at least two to four servings of vegetables a day - versus less than one - had a significantly slower rate of cognitive decline./p pResearch suggests that leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale, Swiss chard and rapini offer the greatest protection, probably because of their vitamin E content. (Vitamin E in foods is thought to protect brain cells from inflammation and free-radical damage.) While studies in humans have not found a link between fruit and cognitive decline, research in mice suggests blueberries can preserve memory./p pPhytochemicals called anthocyanins, plentiful in blueberries and cranberries, are thought to combat free radicals./p pstrongBoost B-vitamin foods/strong/p pAn adequate intake of vitamin B12 and folate helps control blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine. Having a high homocysteine level is thought to damage artery walls and increase the risk of Alzheimer#8217;s and other forms of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a./p pTo get your B vitamins, eat a varied diet. Good sources of folate include lentils, cooked spinach, asparagus, avocados and oranges. Vitamin B12 is found in lean meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, eggs and enriched a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/soy/" class="kblinker" title="More about soy raquo;"soy/a beverages. If you#8217;re over 50, get your B12 from a multivitamin supplement, since absorption of the nutrient from foods decreases with age./p pstrongStay active/strong/p pPhysical activity is associated with slower mental decline. Exercise, especially aerobic activity, increases blood flow to the brain and could help maintain the health of brain cells./p/blockquote p[a href="http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/300/19/2253" target="_blank"Vol. 300, No. 19, November 19, 2008/a]/p hr /smallChinese Medicine Newsbr / (66.150.96.121) Chinese Medicine News by Chinese Medicine News is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada License. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the licence terms originate from chinesemedicinenews.com. /small bTags: /ba href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/alzheimers/" title="Alzheimer's" rel="tag"Alzheimer's/a, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" title="dementia" rel="tag"dementia/a, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" title="ginkgo biloba" rel="tag"ginkgo biloba/abr / ul class="st-related-posts" lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/06/23/uk-pharm-has-high-hope-in-tcm-dementia-drug/" title="UK pharm has high hope in new TCM dementia drug (June 23, 2007)"UK pharm has high hope in new TCM dementia drug/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/01/27/new-drugs-awaiting-discovery-in-chinese-herbs/" title="New drugs awaiting discovery in Chinese herbs? (January 27, 2007)"New drugs awaiting discovery in Chinese herbs?/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2008/01/23/lingzhi-slows-progress-of-alzheimers/" title="Lingzhi slows progress of Alzheimer#8217;s (January 23, 2008)"Lingzhi slows progress of Alzheimer#8217;s/a (7)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/06/06/ginseng-gingko-biloba-wont-interfere-with-drug-absorption-if-taken-within-limit/" title="Ginseng, gingko biloba won#8217;t interfere with drug absorption if taken within limit (June 6, 2007)"Ginseng, gingko biloba won#8217;t interfere with drug absorption if taken within limit/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/12/29/ginkgo-ups-blood-flow-in-patients-with-coronary-artery-disease/" title="Ginkgo ups blood flow in patients with coronary artery disease (December 29, 2007)"Ginkgo ups blood flow in patients with coronary artery disease/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/06/25/acupuncture-stimulates-brain-metabolism-in-dementia-patients/" title="Acupuncture stimulates brain metabolism in dementia patients (June 25, 2007)"Acupuncture stimulates brain metabolism in dementia patients/a (1)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/04/10/acupressure-eases-alzheimers-agitation/" title="Acupressure eases Alzheimer#8217;s agitation (April 10, 2007)"Acupressure eases Alzheimer#8217;s agitation/a (0)/li /ul AP, Globe and Mail, CTV ? Ginkgo biloba, the herbal supplement that is sold in health-food stores as a memory enhancer, does not prevent the onset of dementia or Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests. The study is the largest and longest ginkgo biloba trial performed to date. The dietary supplement ginkgo, long promoted as an aid to pa href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/ChineseMedicineNews?a=rPuWhm"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/ChineseMedicineNews?i=rPuWhm" border="0"/img/a/pdiv class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=Wg4wN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=Wg4wN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=G2x0N"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=G2x0N" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=FZuZn"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=FZuZn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=18wtn"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=18wtn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=W2GnN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=W2GnN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=b4fJn"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=b4fJn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=kWadN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=kWadN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=n6KsN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=n6KsN" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ChineseMedicineNews/~4/458458931" height="1" width="1"/

pa href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/gingko4.jpg" img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-609" style="margin: 8px;" title="gingko4" src="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/gingko4.jpg" alt="" width="270" //aa href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gRrHkoXVBLmxXtEyM4T_BFsFNUEAD94HJP9G0" target="_self"AP/a, a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20081119.BECK19/TPStory/specialScienceandHealth/columnists" target="_self"Globe and Mail/a, a href="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081118/ginkgo_dementia_081118/20081118?hub=Health" CTV/a ? a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"Ginkgo biloba/a, the herbal supplement that is sold in health-food stores as a memory enhancer, does not prevent the onset of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a or a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/alzheimers/" class="kblinker" title="More about Alzheimer raquo;"Alzheimer/a#8217;s disease, new research suggests./p pThe study is the largest and longest a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/glossary/#Ginkgo%20biloba" class="kblinker" title="More about Ginkgo biloba raquo;"ginkgo biloba/a trial performed to date.!--more--/p pThe a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dietary/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dietary"dietary/a supplement ginkgo, long promoted as an aid to memory, didn#8217;t help prevent a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a and Alzheimer#8217;s disease in the longest and largest test of the extract in older Americans. #8220;We don#8217;t think it has a future as a powerful anti-a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a drug,#8221; said Dr. Steven DeKosky of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, who led the federally funded study./p blockquotepemstrongA note on a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a/strong/em: a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"Dementia/a refers to progressive symptoms such as a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/memory-loss/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with memory loss"memory loss/a, mood changes and a decline in the ability to talk, read and write caused by damage or changes to the brain. After Alzheimer#8217;s disease, the most common cause of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a is stroke. This type is referred to as vascular a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a./p pAlzheimer#8217;s disease affects about 300,000 Canadians over the age of 65, according to the Alzheimer#8217;s Society of Canada. It is the most common form of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a, has no cure, and is a progressive, degenerative disease that destroys brain cells./p/blockquote pExtracts from ginkgo tree leaves have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, but earlier research on ginkgo and memory showed mixed results. Annual U.S. sales of the supplement reached $107 million in 2007, according to Nutrition Business Journal estimates./p pFor the new study, appearing in Wednesday#8217;s a href="http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/300/19/2253" target="_blank"Journal of the American Medical Association/a, researchers recruited more than 3,000 people, ages 75 and older, from voter and mailing lists in Maryland, Pennsylvania, California and North Carolina./p pHalf were randomly assigned to take 120 milligrams of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"ginkgo biloba/a twice a day, a typical dose taken by people who think it may help memory. The others took identical dummy pills./p pParticipants were screened for a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a every six months. After six years, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a had been diagnosed at a similar rate in both groups; 277 in the ginkgo group and 246 in the group taking the dummy tablets. When the researchers looked only at Alzheimer#8217;s disease, that rate too was similar./p pThe findings showed:/p ul li3.3 a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a cases per 100 persons per year in the a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"Ginkgo biloba/a group compared to 2.9 cases among the placebo group./li li3.0 Alzheimer#8217;s cases per 100 persons per year in the a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"Ginkgo biloba/a group compared to 2.6 among the placebo group./li /ul pAt the start, some people showed mild difficulties with thinking; ginkgo didn#8217;t work to prevent a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a in those people either./p pGinkgo appears relatively safe, DeKosky said. There was no difference in the rate of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/adverse-events/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with adverse events"adverse events/a such as heart attacks and gastrointestinal bleeding between the groups. There were 16 strokes from bleeding in the brain in the ginkgo group versus eight in the placebo group, a difference that wasn#8217;t statistically significant, he said, because the number of strokes was too small./p pPeople on the blood thinner warfarin shouldn#8217;t take ginkgo because of the risk of increased bleeding./p pProponents claim ginkgo protects the brain by preventing the buildup of an Alzheimer#8217;s-related protein or by preventing cell-damaging oxidative stress./p pWould ginkgo work better to prevent a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a if people started taking it earlier, say, in middle age? The study didn#8217;t look at that, DeKosky acknowledged, adding that following people for 25 years from middle age to old age would be expensive research. The study also didn#8217;t test whether ginkgo improves thinking and memory in the short term./p p#8220;It would have been terrific if this worked. It#8217;s inexpensive, available and relatively safe,#8221; said Paul Solomon, professor of neuroscience at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., who wasn#8217;t involved in the new study but has studied ginkgo./p p#8220;Now with this kind of evidence, you can confidently tell people it didn#8217;t show benefit in more than 3,000 people in six years of research,#8221; Solomon said./p pThere may still be a role for ginkgo in treating, rather than preventing, Alzheimer#8217;s disease, said Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association, a trade association./p pSome previous ginkgo trials have shown no benefit in Alzheimer#8217;s symptom treatment, while others have found it comparable to prescription drugs such as Aricept, also known as donepezil./p pThe a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a study was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health#8217;s National Centrr for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which is undertaking large, scientific tests of a number of commonly used a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dietary/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dietary"dietary/a supplements. The agency said it#8217;s the largest-ever randomized trial of a botanical medicine. There have been larger studies of vitamins and minerals./p blockquotepemstrongSide Effects and Cautions (From a href="http://nccam.nih.gov/health/ginkgo/" target="_blank"NCCAM/a)/strong/em/p ul li Side effects of ginkgo may include a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/headache/" class="kblinker" title="More about headache raquo;"headache/a, nausea, gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, dizziness, or allergic skin reactions. More severe allergic reactions have occasionally been reported./li liThere are some data to suggest that ginkgo can increase bleeding risk, so people who take anticoagulant drugs, have bleeding disorders, or have scheduled surgery or dental procedures should use caution and talk to a health care provider if using ginkgo./li liUncooked ginkgo seeds contain a chemical known as ginkgotoxin, which can cause seizures. Consuming large quantities of seeds over time can cause death. Ginkgo leaf and ginkgo leaf extracts appear to contain little ginkgotoxin./li /ul /blockquote pstrongGood strategies/strong/p pThe following strategies can help keep your heart and blood vessels healthy - and may also preserve your memory as you age (from Globe and Mail)./p blockquotepstrongReduce saturated and trans fats/strong/p pResearch has linked higher intakes of saturated (animal) a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a with a two- to threefold greater risk of Alzheimer#8217;s disease. Trans fats, found in many commercial baked goods and fried fast foods, have also been associated with an increased risk./p pChoose lean cuts of meat, poultry breast and low-a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a dairy products (1 per cent milk a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a or less). Prepare foods with unsaturated fats such as olive oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil or non-hydrogenated margarine. Eat avocado and almonds; both are good sources of heart-healthy monounsaturated a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a./p pstrongEat more fish/strong/p pSeveral studies have reported a lower risk of Alzheimer#8217;s disease and cognitive decline among older adults who eat fish at least twice a week. Oily fish such as salmon, trout, sardines and herring are excellent sources of DHA (docosohexanoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid that helps keep the lining of brain cells flexible so memory messages can pass easily between cells. Omega-3 fats also have anti-inflammatory effects in the brain./p pThe ideal intake of DHA for brain health is not known, but experts suggest a daily intake of 500 milligrams of DHA and EPA (eicosapentanoic acid) combined for heart health - an amount that can be obtained by eating three ounces of salmon twice a week. If you don#8217;t like fish, consider taking a fish-oil capsule./p pstrongIncrease vegetables/strong/p pA six-year study of 3,718 people aged 65 and older reported that those who ate at least two to four servings of vegetables a day - versus less than one - had a significantly slower rate of cognitive decline./p pResearch suggests that leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale, Swiss chard and rapini offer the greatest protection, probably because of their vitamin E content. (Vitamin E in foods is thought to protect brain cells from inflammation and free-radical damage.) While studies in humans have not found a link between fruit and cognitive decline, research in mice suggests blueberries can preserve memory./p pPhytochemicals called anthocyanins, plentiful in blueberries and cranberries, are thought to combat free radicals./p pstrongBoost B-vitamin foods/strong/p pAn adequate intake of vitamin B12 and folate helps control blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine. Having a high homocysteine level is thought to damage artery walls and increase the risk of Alzheimer#8217;s and other forms of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a./p pTo get your B vitamins, eat a varied diet. Good sources of folate include lentils, cooked spinach, asparagus, avocados and oranges. Vitamin B12 is found in lean meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, eggs and enriched a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/soy/" class="kblinker" title="More about soy raquo;"soy/a beverages. If you#8217;re over 50, get your B12 from a multivitamin supplement, since absorption of the nutrient from foods decreases with age./p pstrongStay active/strong/p pPhysical activity is associated with slower mental decline. Exercise, especially aerobic activity, increases blood flow to the brain and could help maintain the health of brain cells./p/blockquote p[a href="http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/300/19/2253" target="_blank"Vol. 300, No. 19, November 19, 2008/a]/p hr /smallChinese Medicine Newsbr / (66.150.96.121) Chinese Medicine News by Chinese Medicine News is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada License. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the licence terms originate from chinesemedicinenews.com. /small bTags: /ba href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/alzheimers/" title="Alzheimer's" rel="tag"Alzheimer's/a, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" title="dementia" rel="tag"dementia/a, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" title="ginkgo biloba" rel="tag"ginkgo biloba/abr / ul class="st-related-posts" lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/06/23/uk-pharm-has-high-hope-in-tcm-dementia-drug/" title="UK pharm has high hope in new TCM dementia drug (June 23, 2007)"UK pharm has high hope in new TCM dementia drug/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/01/27/new-drugs-awaiting-discovery-in-chinese-herbs/" title="New drugs awaiting discovery in Chinese herbs? (January 27, 2007)"New drugs awaiting discovery in Chinese herbs?/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2008/01/23/lingzhi-slows-progress-of-alzheimers/" title="Lingzhi slows progress of Alzheimer#8217;s (January 23, 2008)"Lingzhi slows progress of Alzheimer#8217;s/a (7)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/06/06/ginseng-gingko-biloba-wont-interfere-with-drug-absorption-if-taken-within-limit/" title="Ginseng, gingko biloba won#8217;t interfere with drug absorption if taken within limit (June 6, 2007)"Ginseng, gingko biloba won#8217;t interfere with drug absorption if taken within limit/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/12/29/ginkgo-ups-blood-flow-in-patients-with-coronary-artery-disease/" title="Ginkgo ups blood flow in patients with coronary artery disease (December 29, 2007)"Ginkgo ups blood flow in patients with coronary artery disease/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/06/25/acupuncture-stimulates-brain-metabolism-in-dementia-patients/" title="Acupuncture stimulates brain metabolism in dementia patients (June 25, 2007)"Acupuncture stimulates brain metabolism in dementia patients/a (1)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/04/10/acupressure-eases-alzheimers-agitation/" title="Acupressure eases Alzheimer#8217;s agitation (April 10, 2007)"Acupressure eases Alzheimer#8217;s agitation/a (0)/li /ul AP, Globe and Mail, CTV ? Ginkgo biloba, the herbal supplement that is sold in health-food stores as a memory enhancer, does not prevent the onset of dementia or Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests. The study is the largest and longest ginkgo biloba trial performed to date. The dietary supplement ginkgo, long promoted as an aid to pa href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/ChineseMedicineNews?a=rPuWhm"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/ChineseMedicineNews?i=rPuWhm" border="0"/img/a/pdiv class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=Wg4wN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=Wg4wN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=G2x0N"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=G2x0N" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=FZuZn"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=FZuZn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=18wtn"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=18wtn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=W2GnN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=W2GnN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=b4fJn"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=b4fJn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=kWadN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=kWadN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=n6KsN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=n6KsN" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ChineseMedicineNews/~4/458458931" height="1" width="1"/

pa href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/gingko4.jpg" img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-609" style="margin: 8px;" title="gingko4" src="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/gingko4.jpg" alt="" width="270" //aa href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gRrHkoXVBLmxXtEyM4T_BFsFNUEAD94HJP9G0" target="_self"AP/a, a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20081119.BECK19/TPStory/specialScienceandHealth/columnists" target="_self"Globe and Mail/a, a href="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081118/ginkgo_dementia_081118/20081118?hub=Health" CTV/a ? a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"Ginkgo biloba/a, the herbal supplement that is sold in health-food stores as a memory enhancer, does not prevent the onset of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a or a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/alzheimers/" class="kblinker" title="More about Alzheimer raquo;"Alzheimer/a#8217;s disease, new research suggests./p pThe study is the largest and longest a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/glossary/#Ginkgo%20biloba" class="kblinker" title="More about Ginkgo biloba raquo;"ginkgo biloba/a trial performed to date.!--more--/p pThe a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dietary/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dietary"dietary/a supplement ginkgo, long promoted as an aid to memory, didn#8217;t help prevent a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a and Alzheimer#8217;s disease in the longest and largest test of the extract in older Americans. #8220;We don#8217;t think it has a future as a powerful anti-a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a drug,#8221; said Dr. Steven DeKosky of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, who led the federally funded study./p blockquotepemstrongA note on a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a/strong/em: a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"Dementia/a refers to progressive symptoms such as a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/memory-loss/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with memory loss"memory loss/a, mood changes and a decline in the ability to talk, read and write caused by damage or changes to the brain. After Alzheimer#8217;s disease, the most common cause of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a is stroke. This type is referred to as vascular a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a./p pAlzheimer#8217;s disease affects about 300,000 Canadians over the age of 65, according to the Alzheimer#8217;s Society of Canada. It is the most common form of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a, has no cure, and is a progressive, degenerative disease that destroys brain cells./p/blockquote pExtracts from ginkgo tree leaves have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, but earlier research on ginkgo and memory showed mixed results. Annual U.S. sales of the supplement reached $107 million in 2007, according to Nutrition Business Journal estimates./p pFor the new study, appearing in Wednesday#8217;s a href="http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/300/19/2253" target="_blank"Journal of the American Medical Association/a, researchers recruited more than 3,000 people, ages 75 and older, from voter and mailing lists in Maryland, Pennsylvania, California and North Carolina./p pHalf were randomly assigned to take 120 milligrams of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"ginkgo biloba/a twice a day, a typical dose taken by people who think it may help memory. The others took identical dummy pills./p pParticipants were screened for a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a every six months. After six years, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a had been diagnosed at a similar rate in both groups; 277 in the ginkgo group and 246 in the group taking the dummy tablets. When the researchers looked only at Alzheimer#8217;s disease, that rate too was similar./p pThe findings showed:/p ul li3.3 a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a cases per 100 persons per year in the a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"Ginkgo biloba/a group compared to 2.9 cases among the placebo group./li li3.0 Alzheimer#8217;s cases per 100 persons per year in the a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with ginkgo biloba"Ginkgo biloba/a group compared to 2.6 among the placebo group./li /ul pAt the start, some people showed mild difficulties with thinking; ginkgo didn#8217;t work to prevent a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a in those people either./p pGinkgo appears relatively safe, DeKosky said. There was no difference in the rate of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/adverse-events/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with adverse events"adverse events/a such as heart attacks and gastrointestinal bleeding between the groups. There were 16 strokes from bleeding in the brain in the ginkgo group versus eight in the placebo group, a difference that wasn#8217;t statistically significant, he said, because the number of strokes was too small./p pPeople on the blood thinner warfarin shouldn#8217;t take ginkgo because of the risk of increased bleeding./p pProponents claim ginkgo protects the brain by preventing the buildup of an Alzheimer#8217;s-related protein or by preventing cell-damaging oxidative stress./p pWould ginkgo work better to prevent a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a if people started taking it earlier, say, in middle age? The study didn#8217;t look at that, DeKosky acknowledged, adding that following people for 25 years from middle age to old age would be expensive research. The study also didn#8217;t test whether ginkgo improves thinking and memory in the short term./p p#8220;It would have been terrific if this worked. It#8217;s inexpensive, available and relatively safe,#8221; said Paul Solomon, professor of neuroscience at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., who wasn#8217;t involved in the new study but has studied ginkgo./p p#8220;Now with this kind of evidence, you can confidently tell people it didn#8217;t show benefit in more than 3,000 people in six years of research,#8221; Solomon said./p pThere may still be a role for ginkgo in treating, rather than preventing, Alzheimer#8217;s disease, said Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association, a trade association./p pSome previous ginkgo trials have shown no benefit in Alzheimer#8217;s symptom treatment, while others have found it comparable to prescription drugs such as Aricept, also known as donepezil./p pThe a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a study was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health#8217;s National Centrr for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which is undertaking large, scientific tests of a number of commonly used a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dietary/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dietary"dietary/a supplements. The agency said it#8217;s the largest-ever randomized trial of a botanical medicine. There have been larger studies of vitamins and minerals./p blockquotepemstrongSide Effects and Cautions (From a href="http://nccam.nih.gov/health/ginkgo/" target="_blank"NCCAM/a)/strong/em/p ul li Side effects of ginkgo may include a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/headache/" class="kblinker" title="More about headache raquo;"headache/a, nausea, gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, dizziness, or allergic skin reactions. More severe allergic reactions have occasionally been reported./li liThere are some data to suggest that ginkgo can increase bleeding risk, so people who take anticoagulant drugs, have bleeding disorders, or have scheduled surgery or dental procedures should use caution and talk to a health care provider if using ginkgo./li liUncooked ginkgo seeds contain a chemical known as ginkgotoxin, which can cause seizures. Consuming large quantities of seeds over time can cause death. Ginkgo leaf and ginkgo leaf extracts appear to contain little ginkgotoxin./li /ul /blockquote pstrongGood strategies/strong/p pThe following strategies can help keep your heart and blood vessels healthy - and may also preserve your memory as you age (from Globe and Mail)./p blockquotepstrongReduce saturated and trans fats/strong/p pResearch has linked higher intakes of saturated (animal) a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a with a two- to threefold greater risk of Alzheimer#8217;s disease. Trans fats, found in many commercial baked goods and fried fast foods, have also been associated with an increased risk./p pChoose lean cuts of meat, poultry breast and low-a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a dairy products (1 per cent milk a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a or less). Prepare foods with unsaturated fats such as olive oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil or non-hydrogenated margarine. Eat avocado and almonds; both are good sources of heart-healthy monounsaturated a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/fat/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with fat"fat/a./p pstrongEat more fish/strong/p pSeveral studies have reported a lower risk of Alzheimer#8217;s disease and cognitive decline among older adults who eat fish at least twice a week. Oily fish such as salmon, trout, sardines and herring are excellent sources of DHA (docosohexanoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid that helps keep the lining of brain cells flexible so memory messages can pass easily between cells. Omega-3 fats also have anti-inflammatory effects in the brain./p pThe ideal intake of DHA for brain health is not known, but experts suggest a daily intake of 500 milligrams of DHA and EPA (eicosapentanoic acid) combined for heart health - an amount that can be obtained by eating three ounces of salmon twice a week. If you don#8217;t like fish, consider taking a fish-oil capsule./p pstrongIncrease vegetables/strong/p pA six-year study of 3,718 people aged 65 and older reported that those who ate at least two to four servings of vegetables a day - versus less than one - had a significantly slower rate of cognitive decline./p pResearch suggests that leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale, Swiss chard and rapini offer the greatest protection, probably because of their vitamin E content. (Vitamin E in foods is thought to protect brain cells from inflammation and free-radical damage.) While studies in humans have not found a link between fruit and cognitive decline, research in mice suggests blueberries can preserve memory./p pPhytochemicals called anthocyanins, plentiful in blueberries and cranberries, are thought to combat free radicals./p pstrongBoost B-vitamin foods/strong/p pAn adequate intake of vitamin B12 and folate helps control blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine. Having a high homocysteine level is thought to damage artery walls and increase the risk of Alzheimer#8217;s and other forms of a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with dementia"dementia/a./p pTo get your B vitamins, eat a varied diet. Good sources of folate include lentils, cooked spinach, asparagus, avocados and oranges. Vitamin B12 is found in lean meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, eggs and enriched a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/soy/" class="kblinker" title="More about soy raquo;"soy/a beverages. If you#8217;re over 50, get your B12 from a multivitamin supplement, since absorption of the nutrient from foods decreases with age./p pstrongStay active/strong/p pPhysical activity is associated with slower mental decline. Exercise, especially aerobic activity, increases blood flow to the brain and could help maintain the health of brain cells./p/blockquote p[a href="http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/300/19/2253" target="_blank"Vol. 300, No. 19, November 19, 2008/a]/p hr /smallChinese Medicine Newsbr / (66.150.96.121) Chinese Medicine News by Chinese Medicine News is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada License. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the licence terms originate from chinesemedicinenews.com. /small bTags: /ba href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/alzheimers/" title="Alzheimer's" rel="tag"Alzheimer's/a, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dementia/" title="dementia" rel="tag"dementia/a, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/ginkgo-biloba/" title="ginkgo biloba" rel="tag"ginkgo biloba/abr / ul class="st-related-posts" lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/06/23/uk-pharm-has-high-hope-in-tcm-dementia-drug/" title="UK pharm has high hope in new TCM dementia drug (June 23, 2007)"UK pharm has high hope in new TCM dementia drug/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/01/27/new-drugs-awaiting-discovery-in-chinese-herbs/" title="New drugs awaiting discovery in Chinese herbs? (January 27, 2007)"New drugs awaiting discovery in Chinese herbs?/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2008/01/23/lingzhi-slows-progress-of-alzheimers/" title="Lingzhi slows progress of Alzheimer#8217;s (January 23, 2008)"Lingzhi slows progress of Alzheimer#8217;s/a (7)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/06/06/ginseng-gingko-biloba-wont-interfere-with-drug-absorption-if-taken-within-limit/" title="Ginseng, gingko biloba won#8217;t interfere with drug absorption if taken within limit (June 6, 2007)"Ginseng, gingko biloba won#8217;t interfere with drug absorption if taken within limit/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/12/29/ginkgo-ups-blood-flow-in-patients-with-coronary-artery-disease/" title="Ginkgo ups blood flow in patients with coronary artery disease (December 29, 2007)"Ginkgo ups blood flow in patients with coronary artery disease/a (0)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/06/25/acupuncture-stimulates-brain-metabolism-in-dementia-patients/" title="Acupuncture stimulates brain metabolism in dementia patients (June 25, 2007)"Acupuncture stimulates brain metabolism in dementia patients/a (1)/li lia href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2007/04/10/acupressure-eases-alzheimers-agitation/" title="Acupressure eases Alzheimer#8217;s agitation (April 10, 2007)"Acupressure eases Alzheimer#8217;s agitation/a (0)/li /ul AP, Globe and Mail, CTV ? Ginkgo biloba, the herbal supplement that is sold in health-food stores as a memory enhancer, does not prevent the onset of dementia or Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests. The study is the largest and longest ginkgo biloba trial performed to date. The dietary supplement ginkgo, long promoted as an aid to pa href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/ChineseMedicineNews?a=rPuWhm"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/ChineseMedicineNews?i=rPuWhm" border="0"/img/a/pdiv class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=Wg4wN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=Wg4wN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=G2x0N"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=G2x0N" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=FZuZn"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=FZuZn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=18wtn"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=18wtn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=W2GnN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=W2GnN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=b4fJn"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=b4fJn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=kWadN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=kWadN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=n6KsN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=n6KsN" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ChineseMedicineNews/~4/458458931" height="1" width="1"/

pa href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/wong-dna.gif" img class="size-full wp-image-604 alignleft" style="margin: 8px;" title="wong-dna" src="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/wong-dna.gif" alt="" width="270" //aa href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081114.wplants14/BNStory/National/home" target="_self"Globe and Mail/a ? The Alberta government is investing in a new international plant-genome project to help build its growing stable of world-class researchers and academics./p p#8220;This is an exceptional example of the types of things we can do, and it#8217;s an exceptional example of the type of quality people we can bring to our province,#8221; Doug Horner, Alberta#8217;s Minister of Advanced Education and Technology, said yesterday at the launch of the Alberta 1,000 Plants Initiative.!--more--/p pThe $2-million project, which will analyze the genetic blueprint of 1,000 plants, will be led by Gane Ka-Shu Wong, a superstar in the a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/genomics/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with genomics"genomics/a world./p pBorn in Hong Kong and raised in Kelowna, B.C., he was recently recruited to the University of Alberta after working in the United States and China./p pDr. Wong said a major pull back to Canada was #8220;the spirit of entrepreneurship#8221; in Alberta./p pThe plant-genome project is supported by international partners, including China#8217;s Beijing a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/genomics/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with genomics"Genomics/a Institute, of which Dr. Wong is a founding member. The institute, which was a key contributor to the Human Genome Project, is planning to donate services such as computer power and advanced equipment for gene sequencing./p pa href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/wong.jpg" img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-602" style="margin: 8px;" title="wong" src="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/wong.jpg" alt="" width="131" height="158" //a#8220;Incredibly, only about 100 plant species#8217; a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dna/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with DNA"DNA/a sequences have been analyzed in the proposed manner, so this project has real potential for new discoveries that can make nature work for us,#8221; Dr. Wong said./p pHe said selection is under way for the plants that will be studied, and that talented scientists attracted to the project will help fine-tune the list./p pDespite the economic crisis gripping the United States and other countries, Dr. Wong said debt-free Alberta still has a #8220;huge opportunity#8221; to hire more top researchers from around the world by financing ambitious projects such as the plant initiative./p pHis research will be conducted in a new state-of-the-art building on the University of Alberta#8217;s campus. The province contributed about $300-million to the construction./p pDr. Wong and others hope that mapping the gene sequence of plants can lead to everything from new medicines to high-tech biofuels to crop improvements./p pHe said the decision to study 1,000 plants was made because it was more #8220;impressive#8221; than 100./p pThe plan is eventually to make sequence data uncovered by the project available to the public via the Internet./p pMr. Horner said the research, to which the provincial government is contributing $1.5-million, is a #8220;big deal for the people of Alberta, and it#8217;s a big deal for Canada and the globe.#8221;/p pHe also said it #8220;lays the foundation for a new bioproducts industry#8221; in the oil- and gas-rich province./p hr /smallChinese Medicine Newsbr / (66.150.96.121) Chinese Medicine News by Chinese Medicine News is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada License. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the licence terms originate from chinesemedicinenews.com. /small bTags: /ba href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dna/" title="DNA" rel="tag"DNA/a, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/genomes/" title="genomes" rel="tag"genomes/a, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/genomics/" title="genomics" rel="tag"genomics/abr / ul class="st-related-posts" liNo related posts./li /ul Globe and Mail ? The Alberta government is investing in a new international plant-genome project to help build its growing stable of world-class researchers and academics. "This is an exceptional example of the types of things we can do, and it's an exceptional example of the type of quality people we can bring to our province," pa href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/ChineseMedicineNews?a=vod6oO"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/ChineseMedicineNews?i=vod6oO" border="0"/img/a/pdiv class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=bKvdN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=bKvdN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=xRNKN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=xRNKN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=H527n"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=H527n" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=0VI4n"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=0VI4n" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=4RssN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=4RssN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=mqJDn"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=mqJDn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=vMN1N"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=vMN1N" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=CBSEN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=CBSEN" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ChineseMedicineNews/~4/455668742" height="1" width="1"/

pa href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/wong-dna.gif" img class="size-full wp-image-604 alignleft" style="margin: 8px;" title="wong-dna" src="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/wong-dna.gif" alt="" width="270" //aa href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081114.wplants14/BNStory/National/home" target="_self"Globe and Mail/a ? The Alberta government is investing in a new international plant-genome project to help build its growing stable of world-class researchers and academics./p p#8220;This is an exceptional example of the types of things we can do, and it#8217;s an exceptional example of the type of quality people we can bring to our province,#8221; Doug Horner, Alberta#8217;s Minister of Advanced Education and Technology, said yesterday at the launch of the Alberta 1,000 Plants Initiative.!--more--/p pThe $2-million project, which will analyze the genetic blueprint of 1,000 plants, will be led by Gane Ka-Shu Wong, a superstar in the a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/genomics/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with genomics"genomics/a world./p pBorn in Hong Kong and raised in Kelowna, B.C., he was recently recruited to the University of Alberta after working in the United States and China./p pDr. Wong said a major pull back to Canada was #8220;the spirit of entrepreneurship#8221; in Alberta./p pThe plant-genome project is supported by international partners, including China#8217;s Beijing a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/genomics/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with genomics"Genomics/a Institute, of which Dr. Wong is a founding member. The institute, which was a key contributor to the Human Genome Project, is planning to donate services such as computer power and advanced equipment for gene sequencing./p pa href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/wong.jpg" img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-602" style="margin: 8px;" title="wong" src="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/wong.jpg" alt="" width="131" height="158" //a#8220;Incredibly, only about 100 plant species#8217; a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dna/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with DNA"DNA/a sequences have been analyzed in the proposed manner, so this project has real potential for new discoveries that can make nature work for us,#8221; Dr. Wong said./p pHe said selection is under way for the plants that will be studied, and that talented scientists attracted to the project will help fine-tune the list./p pDespite the economic crisis gripping the United States and other countries, Dr. Wong said debt-free Alberta still has a #8220;huge opportunity#8221; to hire more top researchers from around the world by financing ambitious projects such as the plant initiative./p pHis research will be conducted in a new state-of-the-art building on the University of Alberta#8217;s campus. The province contributed about $300-million to the construction./p pDr. Wong and others hope that mapping the gene sequence of plants can lead to everything from new medicines to high-tech biofuels to crop improvements./p pHe said the decision to study 1,000 plants was made because it was more #8220;impressive#8221; than 100./p pThe plan is eventually to make sequence data uncovered by the project available to the public via the Internet./p pMr. Horner said the research, to which the provincial government is contributing $1.5-million, is a #8220;big deal for the people of Alberta, and it#8217;s a big deal for Canada and the globe.#8221;/p pHe also said it #8220;lays the foundation for a new bioproducts industry#8221; in the oil- and gas-rich province./p hr /smallChinese Medicine Newsbr / (66.150.96.121) Chinese Medicine News by Chinese Medicine News is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada License. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the licence terms originate from chinesemedicinenews.com. /small bTags: /ba href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dna/" title="DNA" rel="tag"DNA/a, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/genomes/" title="genomes" rel="tag"genomes/a, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/genomics/" title="genomics" rel="tag"genomics/abr / ul class="st-related-posts" liNo related posts./li /ul Globe and Mail ? The Alberta government is investing in a new international plant-genome project to help build its growing stable of world-class researchers and academics. "This is an exceptional example of the types of things we can do, and it's an exceptional example of the type of quality people we can bring to our province," pa href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/ChineseMedicineNews?a=vod6oO"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/ChineseMedicineNews?i=vod6oO" border="0"/img/a/pdiv class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=bKvdN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=bKvdN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=xRNKN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=xRNKN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=H527n"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=H527n" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=0VI4n"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=0VI4n" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=4RssN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=4RssN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=mqJDn"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=mqJDn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=vMN1N"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=vMN1N" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=CBSEN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=CBSEN" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ChineseMedicineNews/~4/455668742" height="1" width="1"/

pa href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/wong-dna.gif" img class="size-full wp-image-604 alignleft" style="margin: 8px;" title="wong-dna" src="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/wong-dna.gif" alt="" width="270" //aa href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081114.wplants14/BNStory/National/home" target="_self"Globe and Mail/a ? The Alberta government is investing in a new international plant-genome project to help build its growing stable of world-class researchers and academics./p p#8220;This is an exceptional example of the types of things we can do, and it#8217;s an exceptional example of the type of quality people we can bring to our province,#8221; Doug Horner, Alberta#8217;s Minister of Advanced Education and Technology, said yesterday at the launch of the Alberta 1,000 Plants Initiative.!--more--/p pThe $2-million project, which will analyze the genetic blueprint of 1,000 plants, will be led by Gane Ka-Shu Wong, a superstar in the a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/genomics/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with genomics"genomics/a world./p pBorn in Hong Kong and raised in Kelowna, B.C., he was recently recruited to the University of Alberta after working in the United States and China./p pDr. Wong said a major pull back to Canada was #8220;the spirit of entrepreneurship#8221; in Alberta./p pThe plant-genome project is supported by international partners, including China#8217;s Beijing a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/genomics/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with genomics"Genomics/a Institute, of which Dr. Wong is a founding member. The institute, which was a key contributor to the Human Genome Project, is planning to donate services such as computer power and advanced equipment for gene sequencing./p pa href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/wong.jpg" img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-602" style="margin: 8px;" title="wong" src="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/wong.jpg" alt="" width="131" height="158" //a#8220;Incredibly, only about 100 plant species#8217; a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dna/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with DNA"DNA/a sequences have been analyzed in the proposed manner, so this project has real potential for new discoveries that can make nature work for us,#8221; Dr. Wong said./p pHe said selection is under way for the plants that will be studied, and that talented scientists attracted to the project will help fine-tune the list./p pDespite the economic crisis gripping the United States and other countries, Dr. Wong said debt-free Alberta still has a #8220;huge opportunity#8221; to hire more top researchers from around the world by financing ambitious projects such as the plant initiative./p pHis research will be conducted in a new state-of-the-art building on the University of Alberta#8217;s campus. The province contributed about $300-million to the construction./p pDr. Wong and others hope that mapping the gene sequence of plants can lead to everything from new medicines to high-tech biofuels to crop improvements./p pHe said the decision to study 1,000 plants was made because it was more #8220;impressive#8221; than 100./p pThe plan is eventually to make sequence data uncovered by the project available to the public via the Internet./p pMr. Horner said the research, to which the provincial government is contributing $1.5-million, is a #8220;big deal for the people of Alberta, and it#8217;s a big deal for Canada and the globe.#8221;/p pHe also said it #8220;lays the foundation for a new bioproducts industry#8221; in the oil- and gas-rich province./p hr /smallChinese Medicine Newsbr / (66.150.96.121) Chinese Medicine News by Chinese Medicine News is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada License. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the licence terms originate from chinesemedicinenews.com. /small bTags: /ba href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/dna/" title="DNA" rel="tag"DNA/a, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/genomes/" title="genomes" rel="tag"genomes/a, a href="http://chinesemedicinenews.com/tag/genomics/" title="genomics" rel="tag"genomics/abr / ul class="st-related-posts" liNo related posts./li /ul Globe and Mail ? The Alberta government is investing in a new international plant-genome project to help build its growing stable of world-class researchers and academics. "This is an exceptional example of the types of things we can do, and it's an exceptional example of the type of quality people we can bring to our province," pa href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/ChineseMedicineNews?a=vod6oO"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/ChineseMedicineNews?i=vod6oO" border="0"/img/a/pdiv class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=bKvdN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=bKvdN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=xRNKN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=xRNKN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=H527n"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=H527n" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=0VI4n"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=0VI4n" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=4RssN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=4RssN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=mqJDn"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=mqJDn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=vMN1N"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=vMN1N" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?a=CBSEN"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/ChineseMedicineNews?i=CBSEN" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ChineseMedicineNews/~4/455668742" height="1" width="1"/