Chelation
<p>There are a number of other small studies and pilots on the possible benefits of wheatgrass juice. According to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center,<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-7">[8]</a></sup> there may be a need for further study of wheatgrass therapy for ulcerative collitis; they cite a small pilot study which showed regular wheatgrass juice therapy significantly reduced rectal bleeding and overall disease activity.<sup id="cite_ref-Digestive1_8-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-Digestive1-8">[9]</a></sup>
It has been argued that wheatgrass helps <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_flow" title="Blood flow">blood flow</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestion" title="Digestion">digestion</a> and general <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detoxification" title="Detoxification">detoxification</a> of the body. These claims have not been reliably substantiated. However, in one pilot study of children with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalassemia" title="Thalassemia">thalassemia</a> (a hereditary form of anemia which often requires blood transfusions), of the patients who were given 100 ml of wheatgrass juice daily, half showed reduced need for transfusions. No adverse effects were observed.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-9">[10]</a></sup> Another small study of transfusion-dependent patients suffering from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myelodysplastic_syndrome" title="Myelodysplastic syndrome">myelodysplastic syndrome</a> responded similarly to wheatgrass therapy; that is, the intervals between needed transfusions were increased. In addition, the chelation effect (removal of heavy metals from the blood) was studied for the same patients; the wheatgrass therapy showed a significant iron chelation effect.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-10">[11]</a></sup>
In another pilot, breast cancer patients who drank wheatgrass juice daily showed a decreased need for blood- and bone marrow-building medications during chemotherapy, without diminishing the effects of the therapy.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-11">[12]</a></sup>
The food has demonstrated in vitro cytotoxicity to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HL-60" title="HL-60" class="mw-redirect">HL-60</a> (Human promyelocytic leukemia cells).<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-12">[13]</a></sup></p>