Effect of Ginkgo biloba on Blood Pressure and Incidence of Hypertension in Elderly Men and Women

Abstract

Background Accumulating evidence suggests that ginkgo biloba is cardioprotective, in part, through its vasodilatory and antihypertensive properties. However, definitive data on its blood pressure-lowering effects in humans is lacking. Methods We determined the effects of ginkgo biloba extract (240 mg/day) on blood pressure and incident hypertension in 3,069 participants (mean age, 79 yrs; 46% female; 96% White) from the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory study. We also examined whether the treatment effects are modified by baseline hypertension status. Results At baseline 54% of the study participants were hypertensive, 28% were pre-hypertensive, and 17% were normotensive. Over a median follow-up of 6.1 years, there were similar changes in blood pressure and pulse pressure in the ginkgo biloba and placebo groups. Although baseline hypertension status did not modify the antihypertensive effects of ginkgo biloba, it did influence the changes in blood pressure variables observed during follow-up, with decreases in hypertensives, increases in normotensives, and no changes in pre-hypertensives. Among participants who were not on antihypertensive medications at baseline, there was no difference between treatment groups in medication use over time, as the OR (95% CI) for being a never-user in the ginkgo biloba group was 0.75 (0.48–1.16). The rate of incident hypertension also did not differ between participants assigned to ginkgo biloba vs. placebo (HR, 0.99, 95% CI, 0.84–1.15). Conclusions Our data indicate that ginkgo biloba does not reduce blood pressure or the incidence of hypertension in elderly men and women.

Assessing and Treating Forgetfulness and Cognitive Problems in Adults With HIV

“…With a median follow-up of 6.1 years, changes over time did not differ between the two groups on global cognition nor in individual domains of memory, attention, language, visuospatial abilities, and executive function. Some have speculated that ginkgo biloba produces cognitive benefits by reducing blood pressure and the incidence of hypertension; in this same study, however, no such benefit was observed (Brinkley et al, 2010). …”

Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease: An Evidence-Based Review

“…Ginkgo biloba is purported to have cardioprotective effects by several studies through its antioxidant, antiplatelet, antithrombotic, vasodilatory, and antihypertensive properties [15]. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial determined, however, that the herb does not reduce blood pressure or the incidence of hypertension in elderly men and women [15].…”

“…A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial determined, however, that the herb does not reduce blood pressure or the incidence of hypertension in elderly men and women [15]. The trial also noted that there was no evidence that ginkgo biloba reduced total or CVD mortality or CVD events; there were, however, more peripheral vascular disease events in the placebo arm, suggesting that the herb may reduce the risk of developing peripheral arterial disease [16].…”

The effect of Bacillus coagulans-fermented and nonfermented Ginkgo biloba on the immunity status of broiler chickens1,2

“…As a consequence, phytogenic feed additives have gained much attention recently (van Beek, 2002;Guo, 2003;Lin et al, 2008;van Beek and Montoro, 2009;Amin et al, 2012) as herbs and their extracts are known for their beneficial properties, such as an timicrobial (Özer et al, 2007) and antioxidant activi ties (Wei and Shibamoto, 2007), as well as benefi cial effects on gut function (Windisch et al, 2008). Ginkgo biloba L. (Boonkaew and Camper, 2005) contains a number of biologically active compounds, including flavonol glycosides, terpene lactones, and proanthocyanidins, which have shown efficacy in the treatment of vascular and cardiac diseases, as well as some cancers (Brinkley et al, 2010;Sochocka et al, 2010;Chen et al, 2011;Amieva et al, 2013;Barton et al, 2013). Although some studies have shown that flavonoids can have some beneficial effects in ani The effect of Bacillus coagulans-fermented and nonfermented Ginkgo biloba on the immunity status of broiler chickens 1,2 Xiaoyan Liu,* Guanjun Cao, † Qin Wang ,* Xuan Yao,* and Binghu Fang* 3 *College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510640, China; and † Guangdong Dahuanong Animal Health products Co., Ltd, 6 Dongtibei Road, Xinxing, Guangdong 527499, China ABSTRACT: To evaluate and compare the effects of Bacillus coagulansfermented Ginkgo biloba (FG) and nonfermented Ginkgo biloba (NFG) on the immunity status of broiler chickens, 180 1-d-old female Arbor Acres chicks were divided into 3 groups and fed either a basal diet, a basal diet sup plemented with 0.3% NFG, or a basal diet supple mented with 0.3% FG.…”