Turning over a new leaf

Abstract

Late-life dementia incidence and prevalence are increasing as our population ages. The most marked increase will be in the oldest old, those greater than 85 years of age. The number of cases within this age group is expected to quintuple by the middle of the 21st century. Efforts to prevent, in reality to delay, the onset of dementia, especially Alzheimer disease (AD), or slow its progression, are a major focus of research. Given the life expectancy of individuals in this age group, success in delaying onset or slowing progression would greatly lessen the burden to both families and society. Increased use of complementary and alternative medicines in our country, especially among the elderly,1 has stimulated a large number of studies funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of such compounds. Extract of the leaf of the Ginkgo biloba tree is a …