PECTIN AND ATHEROSCLEROSIS Pectin as a dietary fiber provides an opportunity for global control of hyperlipidemia and can be used as an alternative supplement to reduce the impact of harmful lipids on human health. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including atherosclerosis, stroke and myocardial infarction, is the leading cause of death in modern industrialized societies, indicating that reducing CVD risk factors is crucial to public health management, including reducing plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) and triacylglycerol. CVD are often associated with high cholesterol levels, and pectin has also been studied to determine its ability to reduce the risk of CVD. Studies show that a diet high in water-soluble fiber (including pectin) is inversely associated with CVD risk. An estimated 10 mmol/L decrease in LDL cholesterol was correlated with a 22% reduction in risk of CVD mortality and morbidity. |
In the Los Angeles Atherosclerosis Study, researchers measured the intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid arteries to assess the relationship between atherosclerosis progression and consumption of selective fractions of dietary fiber. The study showed that consumption of viscous fiber, especially pectin, protects against the progression of IMT. The importance of pectin and dietary fiber intake is increasingly recognized for reducing serum total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. The European Commission on Dietary Products, Nutrition and Allergies found and concluded that consumption of 6 grams of pectin per day helps maintain normal cholesterol levels. A 13% reduction in LDL cholestrol is observed by consuming 12 to 24 grams of pectin per day. |
Another study found that water-soluble dietary pectin fibers significantly reduce the concentration of serum cholesterol levels. The authors wrote: "Intake of pectin supplements caused significant reductions in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoproteins A and B, and lipoproteins." British scientists found significant reductions in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol concentrations in a group of volunteers as a result of a three-week diet treatment with the introduction of sugar beet pectin. Additional studies with a wide variety of subjects and experimental conditions show that pectin significantly reduces blood cholesterol levels (Endress, H-U, Nonfood uses of pectin, Herbstreith and Fox KG, Pektin-Fabrik, Neuenburg, Germany, 252). In a 1982 study, pectin was used in combination with cholestyramine, a bile acid sequestrant, and pectin was shown to increase cholesterol reduction by 20 percent compared with cholestyramine alone (Schwandt, P., Richter, W. O., Weisweiler, P., and Neureuther, G.(1982). Cholestyramine plus pectin in the treatment of patients with familial hypercholesterolemia. Atherosclerosis 44, 379-383). |