Heather Bedard, C.H.E.
Wheat grass juice is a juice made from the sprouted leaves of the wheat plant. Although there are little to no studies on humans, people consume this juice for its potential anti-inflammatory, nutrient, and pro-weight loss properties.
There are only two studies on cancer and wheatgrass juice. One is a pilot study on how wheat grass may improve hematological toxicity related to chemotherapy in breast cancer patients.[1] Preliminary results showed potential in reducing myelotoxicity and neutropenia. However, more substantial studies need to be done. The other study was done in 2020 in Israel and measured the immune response in adjuvant chemotherapy in colon cancer patients.[2] Cytokine IL 10 concentrations were higher in the wheatgrass juice group, however, several other anti-inflammatory markers remained unchanged.
While test tubes and animal studies show improvement in many health markers, the lack of actual high-quality human studies makes it difficult to say conclusively that wheat grass would help a cancer patient in any meaningful way. If a cancer patient wanted to try it, there are no documented side effects save an increase in nausea.
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[1] Bar-Sela G, Tsalic M, Fried G, Goldberg H. Wheat grass juice may improve hematological toxicity related to chemotherapy in breast cancer patients: a pilot study. Nutr Cancer. 2007;58(1):43-48. doi:10.1080/01635580701308083
[2] Avisar A, Cohen M, Katz R, Shentzer Kutiel T, Aharon A, Bar-Sela G. Wheatgrass Juice Administration and Immune Measures during Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Colon Cancer Patients: Preliminary Results. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2020;13(6):129. Published 2020 Jun 23. doi:10.3390/ph13060129
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