The effects of Ginkgo biloba extract (LI 1370) supplementation on activities of daily living in free living older volunteers: A questionnaire survey

This survey assessed the impact of four months supplementation with 120 mg/ day of the standardized Ginkgo biloba special extract (LI 1370) on activiti es of daily living and various aspects of mood and sleep in a population of free living older volunteers using both observer- and self-rated scales. 5 028 Participants (mean age 68.9 years) were recruited through a magazine ed itorial. One thousand received Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) and the remainde r were allocated to the Control group. The B-ADL (activities of daily livin g) Scale was completed at baseline and at the end of month 4 by an informan t familiar with the participant, a Self-rating ADL scale and Line Analogue Ratings Scales of mood and sleep were completed by the participants at the end of months 1, 2, 3, and 4. There were significant differences between th e GBE and Control groups on all scales at each time point. The GBE group fe lt better able to cope with their daily activities and showed positive chan ges in mood and sleep compared to the Control group. These results suggest that GBE supplementation has beneficial effects on areas of functioning hav e implications for quality of life in an older population. Copyright (C) 20 00 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.