Pectin is a soluble dietary fibre that provides structural support for the plant cell wall and is found in virtually all plants. It is abundant in the outer skin and rind of fruits and vegetables, where it gives cement-like strength. Pectin is found in 30 per cent of orange pectin, 15 per cent of apple peels, and 12 per cent of onion skins. Pectin can also be present in fruit and vegetable pulp.
Pectin is a complex polysaccharide made up of simple sugar and sugar-acid units.
Anyone who has produced jelly or jam is familiar with pectin's gel-forming abilities.
Some of pectin's health advantages are due to its gel-forming properties, which include improved intestinal health, blood sugar control, and cholesterol metabolism.
Different types of Between Pectin Types?
Apple pectin and modified citrus pectin are the two most common types of pectin on the market (MCP).
Both come from the pulp of the fruit source.
Apple Pectin
Pectin from apples is less processed and has better gel-forming properties.
Citrus Pectin (Modified)
MCP, also known as fractionated pectin, has been processed to contain shorter chains of polysaccharides that dissolve more quickly in water and are better absorbed and used by the body than regular, long-chain apple pectin.
The ability of Modified-Citrus Pectin's absorbable chemicals to attach to lectins on abnormal cells known as galactins is one of the pectin's distinguishing features.
This binding keeps the aberrant cells from clumping together, circulating in the circulation, and spreading to other parts of the body. 15
Due to its absorbable components, MCP has numerous further advantages.
They most notably activate white blood cells known as cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells, as well as modulate immunological function.
The Health Benefits of Pectin
Support For Cholesterol And Blood Pressure
Pectin has been proven to help maintain normal blood pressure and cholesterol metabolism. Pectin from apples, in particular, may improve cholesterol metabolism and hence improve heart health.
The mother component of bile acids is cholesterol in the liver. By binding to bile acids in the small intestine, apple pectin reduces blood cholesterol levels. More cholesterol is converted to bile acids as bile acids are lost in the stool, which can help lower blood cholesterol.
Pectin decreased LDL (bad) cholesterol without altering HDL (good) cholesterol in a comprehensive review of 67 trials including 2,990 people. Apple pectin (5 g per day) reduces total cholesterol by 5 to 16 per cent when consumed as a soluble fibre. Due to its less gel-forming nature, modified-citrus pectin is significantly lower than this threshold.
Apple pectin's capacity to promote artery health and maintain normal blood pressure might be explained by its ability to lower cholesterol.
Controlling Blood Sugar and Losing Weight
The pectin in apples helps to slow down the emptying of the stomach. This can aid in the sensation of being full. In other words, apple pectin may aid in weight reduction by making you feel full. After consuming pectin in orange juice, the effects persisted up to 4 hours.
Delayed stomach emptying is linked to better post-meal blood sugar regulation, which helps with hunger management. Pectin has been found to help people with poor blood sugar control lower their after-meal blood glucose levels.
Healthy Guts
Pectin's capacity to enhance the intestinal microbiome—the genetic material inside the microorganisms that we host within our intestines—is, in the end, its most significant health benefit.
Microorganisms that reside in the gut, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungus, play an important part in our general health. As a "prebiotic," apple pectin has been demonstrated to stimulate the growth and activity of beneficial bacteria in the digestive system while suppressing the growth of undesirable bacteria such as Clostridium and Bacteroides sp.
As a result of this effect, apple pectin may be beneficial in the treatment of dysbiosis, a change in the composition of the gut microbiome that causes gas, bloating, and foul-smelling faeces.
Apple pectin, a gel-forming fibre, improves intestinal health and regularity, in addition to its positive influence on the microbiota. Apple pectin produces softer, better-formed stools that are easier to pass because of its water-binding properties.
Heavy Metals
Pectin can help in detoxification because of its gel-forming properties and capacity to bind to bile acids.
Pectin, like other gel-forming fibres, aids in the removal of heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and other contaminants. MCP, which has been utilized in four clinical investigations of heavy metal detoxification.
MCP supplementation improved lead, arsenic, and cadmium excretion in healthy individuals without causing adverse effects or depletion of critical elements.
In a short trial of five individuals, using MCP alone or in combination with alginate resulted in a 74 per cent decrease in lead or mercury with no adverse effects.
In children hospitalized with lead poisoning, treatment with MCP significantly reduced blood lead levels while significantly increasing lead levels in urine.
Recommendations for Dosages
Pectin is usually taken in 5-gram doses each day.
Safety Concerns and Negative Effects
At prescribed doses, pectin is highly safe, with no serious adverse effects. When using fibre supplements, the most important thing to remember is to stay hydrated you are taking prescription medicine, take it away from pectin if it is affected negatively by dietary fibre.
