Expert: Walter Hintz - 5/13/2011

Question
Hi, I'm from the UK and am wondering if the human body is able to convert chlorophyll into haemoglobin. This question has come about because friends of mine are enthusiastic wheat grass juice drinkers and claim that the chlorophyll in the juice can help human blood. I've got a PhD in environmental chemistry but this is out of my area. I'm aware that both chemicals have porphyrin rings and that haemoglobin has a quaternary structure (I don't know if chlorophyll has one as well). I also know that chlorophyll and haemoglobin have tetradentate chelating ligands that complex magnesium and iron respectively.

I would very much appreciate your help.

Answer
Hi Angela
 You are quite correct in your information about the chemical makeup of these compounds. I think that the similarly between the compounds shows a kinship between plants and animals. Your question "converting Chlorophyll to Hemoglobin" leads to consideration of the metabolic processes. When we ingest an organic compounds we reduce them into the basic units by hydrolysis.(catabolism) WE then reassemble them into new compounds ( anabolism) So ingested chlorophyll is not "converted" into hemoglobin but the digested units of chlorophyll are utilized to make hemoglobin.
AS far as "helping" human blood is concerned keep in mind the "helping is a arbitrary term. It is kind of meaningless. Everything we eat can "help" in making new blood. Consuming chlorophyll can probably increase the bodies magnesium levels

Note that in the US we do not use the a in Hemoglobin