The herbal treatment ginkgo biloba struck out in another major test, this time of its purported ability to prevent heart attacks and strokes. But researchers were surprised by a possible benefit of ginkgo in preventing peripheral artery disease (PAD).Lewis H. Kuller, MD, DrPH, of the University of Pittsburgh and colleagues, who in 2008 found no benefit for ginkgo in preventing dementia, reported new findings from the randomized, 3,069- patient Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory Study. As part of the study, researchers also assessed the herbs role in preventing cardiovascular disease.Participants received either 120 milligrams of a highly purified form of ginkgo biloba or placebo twice daily. More than half of the participants, who averaged age 79, had high blood pressure and a quarter had a history of cardiovascular disease. Over a six-year period, 385 patients died, 164 were hospitalized with heart attacks, 151 had strokes, 73 had transient ischemic attacks (mini-strokes) and 207 experienced chest pain. Researchers found no significant differences between the ginkgo biloba and placebo groups in any of these outcomes.Of the 35 study participants treated for PAD, however, 23 were in the placebo group versus 12 receiving ginkgo-a statistically significant difference, researchers noted.Clearly you cant make a national recommendation based on these numbers, but the data is intriguing, Dr. Kuller said. Peripheral artery disease is a major public health problem and the preventive therapies are not very good. My feeling is that ginkgo and its class of agents, flavonoids, should be further evaluated to see if they have some benefit.Ginkgo biloba contains a class of antioxidant nutrients-flavonoids-found in fruits, vegetables, dark chocolate and red wine, which are believed to offer some protection against cardiovascular events.About 8 million Americans suffer from peripheral artery disease, although many dont know it because the symptoms are often mistaken for something else. The most common symptoms of PAD are cramping, pain or tiredness in the leg or hip muscles while walking or climbing stairs. Typically, this pain goes away with rest and returns when you walk again. People with PAD are at higher risk for heart attack and stroke and, left untreated, PAD can lead to gangrene and amputation.TO LEARN MORE: Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, online before print; abstract at dx.doi.org/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.109.871640. About PAD www.americanheart.org/presenter. jhtml?identifier=3020242
