Wheat Germ Oil as a dietary supplement
has been controversial due to the process by which it is extracted. The extraction process is tricky because the
active ingredients are so easily destroyed. Because wheat germ oil spoils easily and
becomes rancid, the germ is often removed from the flour in store bought breads.
In order to preserve the valuable constituents
of wheat germ oil, we only use products that extract the wheat germ oil by a
flash heat method (in an instant) and must be immediately stored at low
temperature to prevent it turning rancid. Some brand names make an issue of the fact
that their brand will not turn rancid. Since
you should eat nothing unless it will spoil, steer clear of any item that “will
not spoil.” After extraction it is
packed in oxygen-free containers and refrigerated until it is put into
capsules. Therefore, there is little
danger of it turning rancid, since the air is sealed out. However, keep it in a cool dark place,
preferably refrigerated.
Vitamin E and Flaxseed Oil
Wheat Germ Oil is recognized as an
excellent source of the vitamin E complex. One of the products used in our practice also contains the unsaturated
fatty acids of Flaxseed Oil. This
product fulfills Food and Drug Administration requirement of listing the
content of alpha-tocopherol on the label. However, alpha-tocopherol is only the
covering or protector of the entire “E” complex. So the value of the vitamin E in the Wheat
Germ serves us far better than what is listed on the label.
Flaxseed Oil has a higher proportion of
the unsaturated fatty acids (linoleic and linolenic acids) than does the Wheat
Germ Oil, so 27% of the capsule is from the Flaxseed. The best source of the vitamin E is the young,
rapidly growing green cereal grass cut at the first joint stage. However, if a person wants a more potent dose
of the vitamin E and the associated unsaturated fatty acids and if is not
consuming the young grasses in sufficiently large quantity to compensate for
the losses in all our grain foods, Wheat germ oil with flaxseed capsules are an
excellent way of getting a higher potency.
