• Aloe Vera
• Avenanthramides
• Black & White Tea
• Blackberry
• Chamomile
• COFFEEBERRY^™
• Dill
• Feverfew
• Grape Seed Extract
• Green Tea
• Lavender
• Licorice
• Oats
• Olive Leaf
• Pomegranate
• Shea Butter
• Shiitake
• Silymarin
• Soy
• Wheat
• Willowherb
• Ylang-Ylang

Wheat

History and Origin

Wheat is a cultivated grass that originated in Southwest Asia and is now one of the most widely produced cereal crops. Along with carbohydrate, wheat contains protein, vitamins, and oils, all with nutritional benefits. Many of the beneficial components of wheat are found in the kernel's germ (Figure 1), i.e. the embryo or sprouting part of the wheat seed.

Figure 1. Components of each grain of wheat.
(source www.becwsalun.co.uk)

Components

Wheat germ contains protein, amino acids, essential fatty acids, ceramides (sphingolipids), minerals (including manganese and zinc), folate, vitamin E, and a range of B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, and B6).^1-3 These components help support the moisture content of hair and skin, promote hair growth, and protect skin and hair against environmental damage.

Actions in Skin and Hair

The skin is constantly exposed to a range of potentially damaging stresses from within the body (dietary, genetic) and the environment (sun, weather, exposure to air-conditioning/heating). Oxygen- and nitrogen- derived free radicals disrupt cell membranes and can promote inflammatory processes, which can lead to skin damage (erythema, patchy pigmentation, wrinkles, dryness) and hair damage (split ends, breakage, dryness).

Wheat germ contains a number of antioxidants, including vitamin E, folate, ceramides, and fatty acids. Wheat germ or wheat germ oil supplementation has been shown to reduce oxidative stress in preclinical testing⁴ and oxidative stress markers in people with high cholesterol levels.⁵ The antioxidant effects of wheat germ oil have not been isolated to one ingredient, and the sphingolipids, long- chain fatty acids, and vitamin E have all been implicated.

Wheat germ is one of the richest natural sources of vitamin E. Vitamin E may be the skin's predominant physiologic barrier in the epidermis.⁶ A single vitamin E molecule can protect about 1000 lipid molecules from breakage by oxidizing radicals.⁷ In addition, and separate from its antioxidant properties, vitamin E is able to modulate cell signaling thereby stimulating the response to cell damage.⁸ Because it is lipid soluble, vitamin E can be absorbed from topical preparations.^6,9 Benefits of vitamin E have been demonstrated in a number of dermatologic conditions, including skin protection, and wrinkles. ^{6, 9,10}

Vitamins E and C have synergistic antioxidant roles within the skin. As well as being an antioxidant itself, vitamin C is able to replenish the antioxidant effects of nearby vitamin E molecules.⁹ The combination of vitamins E and C may be even more beneficial than vitamin E alone. Studies in humans found that topical application of a formulation containing vitamins E and C significantly improved objective measures of skin moisture and microrelief, as well as subjective impressions of skin smoothness and health (P<.05),¹¹ and provided antioxidant protection against ultraviolet light-induced skin damage.¹²

Safety Profile

Wheat germ oil derivatives and vitamin E have been proven to be very safe over many years of use;^-3,13 wheat germ oil is classified by the FDA as a GRAS substance (Generally Recognized As Safe) and is listed as a safe substance in the Cosmetic Ingredient Review.¹⁴ There are no case reports of adverse events occurring after wheat germ oil application.

References

1. Wheat germ, crude. Nutrient values (NDB No. 20078). USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 21 (2008). http://www.nal.usda.gov. Accessed April 1, 2009.
2. Oil, wheat germ. Nutrient values (NDB No. 04038). USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 21 (2008). http://www.nal.usda.gov. Accessed April 1, 2009.
3. Wheat-germ derived ceramides. New dietary ingredient notification. Submission to US Food and Drug Administration Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling and Dietary Supplements. March 7, 2005.
4. Leenhardt F, Fardet A, Lyan B, et al. Wheat germ supplementation of a low vitamin E diet in rats affords effective antioxidant protection in tissues. J Am Coll Nutr. 2008;27(2):222-228.
5. Alessandri C, Pignatelli P, Loffredo L, et al. Alpha-linolenic acid—rich wheat germ oil decreases oxidative stress and CD40 ligand in patients with mild hypercholesterolemia. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2006; 26:2577-2578.
6. Burgess C. Topical vitamins. J Drugs Dermatol. 2008;7(7 suppl.):S2-S6.
7. Bruno RS. The role of α- and γ-tocopherols in health. In: Handbook of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis; 2007:309-333.
8. Reiter E, Jiang Q, Christen S. Anti-inflammatory properties of α- and γ-tocopherol. Molec Aspec Med 2007; 28:668-691.
9. Burke KE. Interaction of vitamins C and E as better cosmeceuticals. Dermatol Ther. 2007;20(5):314-321.
10. Konger RL. A new wrinkle on topical vitamin E and photo-inflammation: mechanistic studies of a hydrophilic γ-tocopherol derivative compared with α-tocopherol. J Investig Dermatol. 2006;126:1447-9.
11. Gaspar LR, Camargo FB Jr, Gianeti MD, Maia Campos PMBG. Evaluation of dermatological effects of cosmetic formulations containing Saccharomyces cerevisiae extract and vitamins. Food Chem Toxicol. 2008;46(11): 3493-3500.
12. Murray JC, Burch JA, Streilein RD, et al. A topic antioxidant solution containing vitamins C and E stabilized by ferulic acid provides protection for human skin against damage caused by ultraviolet irradiation. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008;59:18-25
13. Thiele JJ, Ekanayake-Mudiyanselage S. Vitamin E in human skin: organ-specific physiology and considerations for its use in dermatology. Mol Aspects Med. 2007;28(5-6):646-667.
14. Cosmetic Ingredient Review. Quick Reference Table. Available from http://www.cir-safety.org/staff_files/pdf4.pdf. Accessed April 24 2009.