The Nutritional and Health Value of the Dietary Fiber PECTIN

by Samuel Ameyaw Consultant

Yablokov et al., writing in Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and the Environment, quote research conducted by the Ukrainian Center of Radiation Medicine and the Belorussian Institute of Radiation Medicine and Endocrinology, concluded about pectin's radio-protective effects that "adding pectin preparations to the food of inhabitants of the Chernobyl-contaminated regions promotes an effective excretion of incorporated radionuclides" such as cesium-137. The authors report on the positive results of using pectin food additive preparations in a number of clinical studies conducted on children in severely polluted areas, with up to 50% improvement over control groups.[]

Yablokov, Alexey V. Chernobyl Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and the Environment. John Wiley & Sons, 2010, pp. 304–309 ISBN 1573317578

PECTIN is a structural heteropolysaccharide contained in the primary cell walls of terrestrial plants. It was first isolated and described in 1825 by Henri Braconnot. It is produced commercially as a white to light brown powder, mainly extracted from citrus fruits, and is used in food as a gelling agent, particularly in jams and jellies. It is also used in fillings, medicines, sweets, as a stabilizer in fruit juices and milk drinks, and as a source of dietary fiber. Pectin is a natural part of the human diet, which many think does not contribute significantly to nutrition.

Sources of Pectin

Pears, apples, guavas, quince, plums, gooseberries, oranges and other citrus fruits, contain large amounts of PECTIN, while soft fruits like cherries, grapes and strawberries contain small amounts of pectin.

Typical levels of pectin in plants are (fresh weight):

apples, 1–1.5%

apricots, 1%

cherries, 0.4%

oranges, 0.5–3.5%

carrots approx. 1.4%

citrus peels; including lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruits, 30%.

The main raw materials for pectin production are dried citrus peel or apple pomace, both by-products of juice production. Pomace from sugar beet is also used to a small extent.

"AN APPLE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY"

An Apple a Day Keeps Away the Doctor.

Is there any truth in the old adage that "AN APPLE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY"?

What is the Scientific basis?

Are there any other fruits that can also meet the adage "AN APPLE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY"

The answer is certainly yes!!!!!!!!!!!

Years ago whilst growing up in an orchard eating all sorts and manner of fruits, ranging from apples, pears, guavas, citrus fruits etc. etc. we hardly succumbed to illnesses. We had free bowels, normal blood sugars, lower cholesterol, no inflammatory diseases, fibrosis nor cancer.

What manner of nutrients and ingredients in these gave us such a robust health?

Is there a scientific basis behind this?

YES!! Absolutely YES!! Indeed.

Putting aside the VITAMINS and MINERAL SALTS we know of. I mean the Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), the Vitamin E (tocopherols), Carotenoids, Vitamin A, the B-Vitamins and vitamin K that these fruits and non woody parts of plants provide, There are other components which for years have been thought of as having no nutritional value to man, but which indeed are our life saviors.

Dietary fiber or roughage is the indigestible portion of food derived from plants.

There are two main components: Soluble and Insoluble Fiber.

Soluble fiber dissolves in water. It is readily fermented in the colon into gases and physiologically active by products eg Vitamin-K, and other compounds that can be prebiotic. Soluble fibers tend to slow the movement of food through the digestive system.

Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. It can be metabolically inert and provide bulking, or it can be prebiotic and metabolically ferment in the large intestine. Bulking fibers absorb water as they move through the digestive system, easing defecation.

Fermentable insoluble fibers mildly promote stool regularity, although not to the extent that bulking fibers do, but they can be readily fermented in the colon into gases and physiologically active byproducts. Insoluble fibers tend to accelerate the movement of food through the gastrointestinal system.

Dietary fibers can act by changing the nature of the contents of the gastrointestinal tract and by changing how other nutrients e.g. Cholesterol, Glucose, Bile Acids and other chemicals are absorbed. Some types of soluble fiber absorb water to become a gelatinous, viscous substance which is fermented by bacteria in the digestive tract.

Some types of insoluble fiber have bulking action and are not fermented. Lignin, a major dietary insoluble fiber source, may alter the rate and metabolism of soluble fibers.

Other types of insoluble fiber, notably resistant starch, are fully fermented.

Chemically, dietary fiber consists of non-starch polysaccharides such as arabinoxylans, cellulose, and many other plant components such as resistant starch resistant dextrins, inulin, lignin, waxes, chitins, pectins, beta-glucans, and oligosaccharides.

Food sources of dietary fiber are often divided according to whether they provide (predominantly) soluble or insoluble fiber.

Plant foods contain both types of fiber in varying degrees, according to the plant's characteristics.

Advantages of consuming fiber are the production of healthful compounds during the fermentation of soluble fiber, and insoluble fiber's ability (through its passive hygroscopic properties) to increase bulk, soften stool, and shorten transit time through the intestinal tract.

Disadvantages of a diet high in fiber is the potential for significant intestinal gas production and bloating. Constipation can occur if insufficient fluid is consumed with a high-fiber diet.

Dietary Pectin binds Bile acids in the gastrointestinal tract, and by so doing cause the excretion of bile acids from the bile acid pool. The net result is the conversion of more cholesterol in the liver and blood stream to restore the bile acid pool, leading ultimately to a lower serum/blood cholesterol level.

Pectin binds Glucose in the gastrointestinal tract and limit the rise of blood sugar and all its subsequent problems in people with defective insulin production;-I mean diabetics and people with metabolic syndrome.

In addition Pectin's have the ability to alter the function of key mediators of inflammation and fibrosis, and also to sharpen the ability of the body's immunological surveillance system to detect and destroy body cells with lethal cancer forming genetic alterations in situ.

Ongoing scientific research demonstrates that, Pectin derived compounds have the natural ability to support healthy cell growth and behavior by binding Galectin-3. Modified Citrus and Apple Pectin is a natural ligand for Galectin-3, a molecule present in large numbers on the surface of cancerous/unhealthy cells.*

What are the medical benefits?

Modified apple, pear and citrus Pectin's have been proven to be safe, gentle and highly effective compounds that supports healthy cells and blocks Galectin-3, a complex carbohydrate expressed on the cell membranes of cancer cells and which forms a "CLOUD/BLANKET" on cancer cells shielding them from immunological surveillance.

Extensive clinical and scientific research has shown that Modified Citrus and Apple Pectin's can:

Support Cellular Health

Support Healthy Immune Response

Support Healthy Detoxification and are useful for

1. Inflammatory Diseases -of the Bowel, Liver, etc

2. Fibrotic Diseases- of the Liver, kidneys, lungs,

3. Fatty Liver Diseases- NASH, Steatohepatitis

4. Metabolic Syndrome and in

5. The Protection from Cancers of all forms through their ability to block Galectin-3.