Fermented Wheat Germ Extract

Fermented wheat germ extract (WGE) was developed by Mate Hidvegi, a Hungarian chemist, in the 1990s. It should not be confused with wheat germ oil. WGE has been used as a dietary supplement by cancer patients in Hungary to improve quality of life.

WHAT IS IT?
Wheat Germ is part of the seed found in the kernel, “berry,” of wheat stock.  The germ is the embryo - or sprouting section - of the seed. During the milling process of making standard white flour, not with whole wheat flour, the germ is separated from the final product.  When this wheat germ is fermented, it starts to produce new compounds. 

According to some evidence, the wheat germ extract, interferes with anaerobic glycolysis, pentose cycle and ribonucleotide reductase process of the cancer cells. It has vital antiproliferative effects that kill the cancerous cells through inducing apoptosis through the caspase-poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-pathway. The wheat extract helps in modulating the response of the immune system by down regulating MHC-I complex, TNF-a induction, and some interleukin.

Let's have a look at the evidence.

Colorectal cancer
Modest evidence of better survival and less metastasis and progression of colorectal cancer among people treated with FWGE with standard treatment

Better progression-free and overall survival, fewer new metastases/metastatic lesions following treatment, and a lower rate of new recurrent disease among people with colorectal cancer—including advanced disease—treated with radical surgery plus radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy and FWGE compared to standard treatment alone in a mid-sized controlled trial1
A weak trend toward better response to standard treatment and survival among people with colorectal cancer treated with standard treatment and FWGE compared to standard treatment alone in a small controlled trial.

Head, neck, and oral cancers
Preliminary evidence of substantially less disease progression among people treated with standard treatment and FWGE

Substantially less disease progression among people with oral cancer treated with standard treatment and FWGE compared to standard treatment alone in a small controlled trial.

Melanoma

Preliminary evidence of substantially better survival among people treated with standard treatment and FWGE

Substantially longer progression-free survival and overall survival among people with high-risk and advanced stages of melanoma treated with dacarbazine and FWGE compared to dacarbazine alone in a small RCT.

References:

Jakab F, Shoenfeld Y et al. A medical nutriment has supportive value in the treatment of colorectal cancer. British Journal of Cancer. 2003 Aug 4;89(3):465-9.

Boros LG, Nichelatti M, Shoenfeld Y. Fermented wheat germ extract (Avemar) in the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2005 Jun;1051:529-42.

Demidov LV, Manziuk LV, Kharkevitch GY, Pirogova NA, Artamonova EV. Adjuvant fermented wheat germ extract (Avemar) nutraceutical improves survival of high-risk skin melanoma patients: a randomized, pilot, phase II clinical study with a 7-year follow-up. Cancer Biotherapy & Radiopharmaceuticals. 2008 Aug;23(4):477-82.