Why should you care about pectins?
They make cell adhesion difficult which means they can prevent metastasis and much more!
Pectins are natural form of sugar, and are found in a variety of foods. They’re of high interest to cancer researchers due to their ability to detox metals and carcinogens. They also have the ability to inhibit cell adhesion and stop angiogenesis, or blood supply to the tumor.
A growing number of studies show pectin’s ability to inhibit galactose-binding lectins, or galectins. Galectins are over expressed adhesion and blood vessel-attracting surface molecules that are thought to be involved in the spread of cancer.
Pectin works in other ways too. It acts as a prebiotic by providing fiber to feed good bacteria if using a whole food source. It also has the ability to lower cholesterol and glucose.
Are there other ways to get pectin without consuming whole foods? Scientist have created a more bioavailable form of pectin called Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP) which can be purchased as a supplement.
Here is an excerpt from a study–
“Mice were injected with melanoma cells, and the formation of tumor colonies in the lungs was measured. It was found that mice injected with CP (regular pectin) suffered from several tumor colonies in the lungs, whereas mice injected with MCP saw a 90% decrease in tumor colonies.”
That’s pretty impressive right!? But it’s not just melanoma, there are many studies on other types of cancer and MCP. And something else; there’s evidence a supplement called Honokiol Extract works synergistically with MCP! *discloser, the study was funded by ecoNugenics, Inc. who make a honokiol extract. I don’t doubt the study, as many naturals have synergy!
What do I think of the supplement vs. whole food form? I prefer to think the whole food pectin is better due to the other plant compounds that may work in synergy and also there are studies that show different types of non-citrus pectin work better for certain cancers. That’ being said, knowing about the different types of modified pectin could be very helpful for someone who can’t consume enough dosage of the whole plant form!
Here are some pectin amounts in foods. Check out carrots and sweet potatoes!
You have to wonder, is there anything a carrot can’t do?
