Is Wheat Grass Healthy For You?

Wheat grass is made using part of the seed from the wheat plant Triticum aestivum. Generally, wheat grass is used as a dietary supplement and is available as a powder to add to beverages or as a juice. Although this health food is not necessarily tasty, it may have health benefits.

History

Wheat grass has a long history that dates back more than 5,000 years ago to Egypt. There, its was used to purify the blood, relieve pain from arthritis and boost energy. Egyptians believed that wheat was a sacred plant and regularly used it for its medicinal and nutritional qualities. It wasn't until the 1930s that wheat grass became a western dietary aid by the agricultural chemist Charles Schnabel, who conducted experiments by using wheat grass to cure sick hens.

Nutritional Facts

Wheat grass contains eight essential amino acids, is an excellent source of chlorophyll and has over 22 vitamins and 92 minerals. A half-cup of wheat grass juice is only about 23 calories. Wheat grass contains vitamin A, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C and vitamin E. It is an excellent source of calcium, about 7 mg per one-ounce serving, as well as phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, zinc and sodium. Perhaps the most notable compound in wheat grass is its chlorophyll, which is widely responsible for many of its health benefits. Wheat grass is also naturally fat-free and contains fiber.

Health Benefits

Wheat grass advocates make many claims of the curative properties of this supplement, which range from cancer prevention to detoxification. Nonetheless, there is is not enough clinical evidence to illustrate the efficacy of these claims, although some evidence is promising.

For example, a 2006 study published in the Journal of Gastroenterology found that drinking wheat juice improved conditions of the bowel disorder ulcerative colitis. The symptoms of the disease, which include bleeding and spasms in the gastrointestinal tract, decreased in patients drinking wheat grass. Another 2007 study published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer, discovered that wheat grass juice may decrease the blood-damaging effects of chemotherapy, although the actual mechanism responsible for this effect was unknown. Researchers attributed this effect to the high presence of antioxidants in the wheat grass.

The Bottom Line

Due to the high nutritional content of wheat grass, it can be a healthy addition to your diet. It is not, however, a miracle food that will cure all your ailments. Although evidence does suggest its medicinal properties, further research is warranted regarding its long-term benefits. Wheat grass may be a viable option when discerning amongst healthy foods as it is delivers nutrients comparable and sometimes superior to certain vegetables--it contains the same amount vitamin A as broccoli and has more iron than spinach, just to name a few.