Wheat Germ: Benefits, Nutrition, Spermidine & How to Use It

Wheat germ is the small, golden embryo tucked into one end of every wheat kernel, the part that sprouts and grows into a new plant. It makes up only about 2.5% to 3.8% of the kernel's weight, yet it's packed with the protein, oil, minerals and B vitamins a young plant needs to get started.3

For most of history, people ate the germ in their bread without a second thought. In The Biblio Diet, Jordan Rubin and I explain that ancient flour was made by sifting, which kept the entire kernel, until the steel roller mill arrived in the 1870s. Roller milling strips away the germ and the bran to make a fine white flour, a good-looking product that loses essential nutrients such as zinc and iron.4 The wheat germ sold in jars is the part that milling sets aside,3 so a spoonful of it puts some of what white flour lost back on your plate.

It's also one of the richest food sources of spermidine, a compound tied to the cellular cleanup process called autophagy.56

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What is wheat germ?

A wheat kernel has three parts. The bran is the fiber-rich outer layer, the endosperm is the starchy center that becomes white flour, and the germ sits at one end, ready to grow. Keep all three together and you have a whole grain.7

The germ is the living part of the seed. Plant a kernel of wheat and the germ is what pushes up a new green shoot. Jesus used that picture of a seed's life when He said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24, KJV).

What milling takes out of white flour

Roller milling separates the germ and the bran from the endosperm, and the numbers show what leaves with them. Per 100 grams, raw wheat germ carries 12.3 milligrams of zinc, 1.88 milligrams of thiamin and 281 micrograms of folate, while unenriched white all-purpose flour carries 0.7 milligrams of zinc, 0.12 milligrams of thiamin and 26 micrograms of folate.18 Iron follows the same pattern, 6.26 milligrams against 1.17.

Enriched flour gets thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid and iron added back by law, but zinc, magnesium and the germ's oil aren't part of that list.9 Wheat bran is the other half of what milling removes, and the two complement each other: per 100 grams, the germ carries more zinc, thiamin and folate, and the bran carries more fiber, magnesium and iron.110

Wheat germ nutrition facts

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central record 168892 (wheat germ, crude) at USDA's 115-gram cup. % Daily Value uses FDA reference values. USDA's raw record carries no vitamin E value, so vitamin E comes from the toasted record below.12

For about 100 calories, that's more than a day's manganese and close to half a day's thiamin, with selenium, zinc, copper, vitamin B6 and folate close behind.

Toasting heats the germ, and heat-treated wheat germ keeps longer.12 Per ounce (28.35 grams), USDA's record lists 108 calories, 8.25 grams of protein and 4.28 grams of fiber, plus 4.54 milligrams of vitamin E (30% of the daily value), 99.8 micrograms of folate (25%), 4.73 milligrams of zinc (43%) and 18.4 micrograms of selenium (34%).112 An ounce also carries 50.7 milligrams of choline and 224 micrograms of lutein and zeaxanthin.11 USDA's toasted record is for plain wheat germ; sweetened versions add sugar.

Wheat germ benefits, ranked by evidence

Wheat germ has composition data and human trials behind seven benefits, ranked here by the strength of that evidence: dense nutrition, higher blood spermidine, healthier liver markers in fatty liver disease, healthier gut bacteria, lower depression and stress scores in type 2 diabetes, cholesterol support, and blood sugar and insulin.

Wheat germ and spermidine

Spermidine is a polyamine, a small compound every living cell makes and uses to grow and renew itself. In Heal Your Cells, Dr. Will Cole and I describe it as a compound that activates autophagy, the same cellular recycling pathway that fasting turns up.6 Plants use polyamines as growth factors when a seed germinates, which researchers suggest is why the germ, the part of the seed built to sprout, carries so much of them.5 Levels vary from product to product: the wheat germ in the Austrian trial below measured 1,075 milligrams of spermidine per kilogram.13

What happened when older adults ate wheat germ rolls

In six Austrian nursing homes, 92 residents aged 60 to 96 were randomly assigned to a breakfast roll baked with wheat germ or one baked with wheat bran, six days a week for three months, and neither the residents nor the researchers knew which roll was which. Each wheat germ roll carried 3.3 milligrams of spermidine after baking and each bran roll 1.9 milligrams; 85 people were analyzed, 43 in the wheat germ group and 42 in the bran group, and they ate 68 rolls on average.13

Median blood spermidine in the wheat germ group rose from 41.65 ng/mL at the start to 58.20 after one month, 57.20 after two and 59.40 after three. In the bran group it read 44.70, 41.38, 44.71 and 44.25 ng/mL at the same four points, a change that wasn't statistically significant.13

Memory-test totals rose in both groups over the three months, by 6.25 points with wheat germ and 4.00 with bran, and in the 18 people with mild dementia in the wheat germ group, the Mini-Mental State Exam score rose 2.23 points.13 The trial had no placebo group, and its authors note that a placebo effect can't be ruled out. Spermidine proved sensitive to heat, too: the researchers measured about 3.4 times more of it in the ingredients than in the finished rolls,13 so stirring raw wheat germ into food after it's cooked keeps more of it.

Trials of a spermidine-rich wheat germ extract

Most of the other human spermidine research tested a concentrated extract made from wheat germ, taken as capsules, a different product from the food in a jar. In every trial below, people took the extract or a look-alike placebo, and neither they nor the researchers knew who got what. Several of the researchers have ties to the extract's maker.2930

Across these trials the extract was well tolerated, and the memory results so far are mixed. In my Mitochondrial Longevity Protocol, spermidine is an honorable mention among the cellular nutrients, and the rule is habits first: movement, fasting windows and sleep are the signals, and nutrients help the cell answer them.34 I call a 14- to 16-hour overnight fast, 3 to 5 days a week, the strongest everyday signal for autophagy.34 Intermittent fasting comes first, with spermidine foods such as wheat germ, mushrooms and natto alongside it.35

Wheat germ oil: vitamin E and how to use it

Per 100 grams, USDA lists 149 milligrams of vitamin E in wheat germ oil, against 16.0 milligrams in toasted wheat germ, and a single teaspoon of the oil gives you 6.7 milligrams, 45% of the daily value.36112 See vitamin E foods for others. Most of the oil is polyunsaturated: 54.8% is linoleic acid, an omega-6 fat, and 6.9% is alpha-linolenic acid, a plant omega-3. It also carries plant sterols, about 75 milligrams per tablespoon.36

Treat it the way you'd treat any delicate cold-pressed oil. Our seed oils guide gives the rule for those: cold-pressed and unrefined, used raw or at low heat, stored cold and finished quickly, with olive oil as the everyday fat.37 For wheat germ oil, that means a cold-pressed, unrefined bottle and a teaspoon or two drizzled over a finished dish or blended into a smoothie or dressing, with the bottle kept in the refrigerator.

How to eat wheat germ (and keep it fresh)

Start with a tablespoon or two a day (two tablespoons is half the quarter cup in the nutrition table) and work up; most of the trials above used 20 to 40 grams a day, about 3 tablespoons to a third of a cup.1614 Wheat germ fits a simple rule for building meals.

I recommend getting 30 to 40 grams of fiber a day from foods like vegetables, berries, chia and flax,38 and a spoonful of wheat germ adds both protein and fiber to the meals you already eat.

If you sweeten the bowl, use a drizzle of raw honey, and choose plain toasted wheat germ over honey-coated versions.

Wheat germ is high in phytic acid, at 1% or more of its dry weight, and phytic acid can lower how much zinc and iron you absorb.3940 On my show, I've explained that grains were historically sprouted or fermented to break down phytic acid so people could absorb their minerals, and that vitamin C alongside them helps, though sprouting and fermenting help more.40 So pair wheat germ with berries or citrus to help with its iron. See antinutrients for more.

Those same traditions shape my grain list. On my eat list, organic or sprouted is best for grains and flours, and wheat is sprouted only.4 My top two breads are whole-grain sourdough made from an ancient grain such as einkorn, and 100% sprouted whole-grain bread.4 Sprouted grain bread, whole-grain sourdough, einkorn flour and sprouted wheat berries all keep the germ in place. Wheat germ itself is a spoonful you add rather than a grain you build meals on, and it's best given the same traditional care: soaked overnight, as in the oats and yogurt ideas above, or baked into a sourdough or sprouted-flour loaf.

How to buy and store wheat germ

My rule is to buy organic when possible,4 so choose organic wheat germ, raw or plain toasted.

Once milling exposes the germ's oil to the air and to the germ's own enzymes, the oil starts to oxidize, so wheat germ has a short shelf life.41 In a lab study, untreated wheat germ developed a clearly rancid smell and taste after 3 weeks at room temperature, while microwave-heated germ showed no change after 7 weeks.12 Keep raw wheat germ in a sealed container in the refrigerator, and refrigerate toasted wheat germ once the jar is open. If it smells sharp, bitter or like old oil, throw it out.

Wheat germ side effects and who should skip it

Celiac disease is an immune reaction to gluten, the protein in wheat, barley and rye. In a 2026 analysis of studies covering 394,274 people, 1.5% had blood tests pointing to celiac disease and 0.8% had it confirmed by biopsy, and 41.4% of the confirmed cases had no symptoms.42 If you have it, follow a strict celiac disease diet, which leaves out wheat germ and its oil, and if you think you might have it, get tested before you cut out gluten, since avoiding gluten first can make the results inaccurate.43 A wheat allergy is different: an immune reaction to wheat proteins that can cause hives, swelling or, in some people, a life-threatening reaction, including one triggered by exercise after eating wheat.44

If you don't have either condition, gluten isn't a reason to skip wheat germ. On my show, I've said gluten isn't the villain by itself; the bigger problems are wheat bred to carry more gluten and grains eaten without the sprouting and fermenting that make them easier to digest.45 That's the reason for the soaking and sourdough tips above. If you suspect gluten bothers you, my approach is to remove sugar, fried food and processed food first, and if symptoms linger, try a 3-week elimination diet and then reintroduce one food at a time.46 See gluten intolerance symptoms and foods with gluten for more.

Freshness matters for everyone. Don't eat wheat germ that smells or tastes off; the storage steps are in the section above.

Fiber is the other adjustment. A quarter cup carries 3.8 grams, so if you eat little fiber now, start with a tablespoon and drink plenty of water as you add more.1

If you take levothyroxine for an underactive thyroid, its prescribing label lists dietary fiber among the foods that can bind the drug and lower how much you absorb, and it directs taking the drug on an empty stomach, 30 to 60 minutes before breakfast.47 Have your wheat germ with breakfast after that, and keep the habit steady from week to week so your doctor can set the right dose.

The bottom line

Wheat germ: frequently asked questions

References

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Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS

Doctor of Natural Medicine · Founder, DrAxe.com

Dr. Axe is a certified doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist, and multiple New York Times bestselling author. He has spent 20+ years in clinical practice helping people heal at the root cause and founded one of the most-visited natural-health platforms in the world.

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