Health Benefits of Apple Pectin

"An apple a day, keeps the doctor away" has proved true in relation to pectin, a substance found in apples.

The humble apple offers more than just good taste. While other fruits contain pectin, apples contain a goodly amount and, it turns out, apple pectin offers distinct health benefits.

Apple Pectin and Digestive Health

Apple pectin can be used to treat digestive disorders. Because it is high in fiber, it can help to regulate bowel movements. Apple pectin does double-duty because it can relieve constipation or help with diarrhea. People who seek to normalize troubling bowel problems may choose to eat apples on a regular basis or take apple pectin.

Because apple pectin helps to regulate bowel function, it may prove helpful for those with irritable bowel or colitis. Consuming apple pectin is a safe, low-cost approach to managing digestive disorders and bowel conditions.

Apple Pectin and Cardiovascular Health

According to World's Healthiest Foods, apple pectin, in concert with other substances found in apples, can help to prevent heart disease. Apple pectin interacts with other apple phyto-nutrients and can lower blood fats. Apples' water-soluble fiber (pectin) and mix of polyphenols are thought to impact favorably on total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels. To obtain the most benefit, it is preferable to consume whole apples. In sum: the interaction of pectin + other phyto-nutrients in apples is believed to offer cardiovascular benefit.

Apple Pectin and Cancer Prevention

The April 2008 issue of Nutrition, notes, "apples are a major source of natural fiber and . . . polyphenols in the Western diet." Accordingly, pectin-rich apple compounds could exert an anti-carcinogenic effect in the colon.

Lending support to this, an AUG 2005 article, "Effects of Apple Pectin on Fecal Bacterial Enzymes in Azoxymethane-induced Rat Colon Carcinogenesis" in Cancer Science, relates that because of a potential correlation between colonic bacteria and colon carcinogenesis, pectin was studied in relation to fecal bacterial enzymes in cancerous rats. A diet supplemented with 20% apple pectin decreased colon tumors. Additionally, the incidence of colon tumors in the apple pectin rat group was lower from that found in the control group. While these studies were carried out on rats, they are suggestive of a reduction in risk factors for development of colon cancer in humans.

In fact, as reported in Apple Phytochemicals and Their Health Benefits, "epidemiological studies have linked the consumption of apples with reduced risk of some cancers." The abstract goes on to state that "apples have been found to have very strong antioxidant activity" and that they inhibit cancer cell proliferation.

This article has touched on some of the health benefits of apple pectin. Certainly, eating whole apples and/or adding apple pectin to the daily diet can be a sound, health-protective measure.

Sources:

• World's Healthiest Foods--Apples