Benefits of Pectin and Pectinase

Pectin has been shown to optimize cholesterol metabolism and contribute to normal blood pressure. Apple pectin, in particular, may support heart health by optimizing cholesterol metabolism.

In the liver, cholesterol is the parent compound of bile acids. Apple pectin optimizes blood cholesterol levels by binding to bile acids in the small intestine. As bile acids are lost in the stool, more cholesterol is converted to bile acids, which can help optimize blood cholesterol levels.

A detailed analysis of 67 studies in 2,990 adults showed that pectin lowered LDL (bad) cholesterol without affecting HDL (good) cholesterol. Overall, as a soluble fiber, apple pectin (5g per day) lowers total cholesterol by 5% to 16%. The data for modified citrus pectin is much lower than this level because of the relatively non-gel forming properties of modified citrus pectin.

Cholesterol reduction could explain apple pectin’s ability to optimize arterial health and maintain normal blood pressure.

Apple pectin delays gastric emptying. This promotes satiety. In other words, apple pectin can help you feel full, which may contribute to more controlled eating and thus weight loss.

A study was conducted on 74 male and female U.S. Army employees of normal weight who fasted overnight and then took 448ml of orange juice with or without pectin. This study found that a dose of 5g can promote satiety. 7 This effect lasted four hours after ingesting the pectin in orange juice.

Delayed gastric emptying is also associated with optimized postprandial glycemic control, which also has beneficial effects on appetite control. Pectin has shown some benefit in lowering postprandial blood glucose levels in people with poor blood sugar control, but less effect in people with good blood sugar control.

Ultimately, pectin’s greatest health benefit is its ability to optimize the gut microbiota—the genetic material in the microbes that live in our guts.

The microbes—bacteria, viruses, and fungi—that live with our gut play an integral role in our overall health. Apple pectin has been shown to be a “prebiotic” that helps promote the growth and activity of beneficial bacteria while also controlling the growth of harmful bacteria in the digestive tract, such as Clostridium and Bacteroides.

This effect makes apple pectin potentially beneficial for gut dysbiosis, a change in gut flora composition associated with gas, flatulence, and malodorous stools.

In addition to its beneficial effect on the microbiota, as a gel-forming fiber, apple pectin promotes a healthy and regular bowel movement. Due to its water-binding effect, apple pectin promotes the formation of softer, well-shaped stools that are easier to pass.

Due to its gel-forming properties and ability to bind bile acids, pectin is a useful detoxification aid.

Like other gel-forming fibers, pectin can be used to facilitate the removal of heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium. In this application, MCP may be preferred as it has been used in four clinical studies of heavy metal detoxification.

MCP supplementation increased urinary excretion of lead, arsenic, and cadmium in healthy volunteers without side effects or depletion of essential elements.

In one small study of five patients, MCP alone or the MCP/alginate combination reduced lead or mercury by an average of 74% with no side effects. Remediation using MCP also greatly reduced blood lead levels and elevated urine lead levels in children hospitalized with lead poisoning.