Cholesterol Reduction & Cardiovascular Disease Support
Apple pectin has been found to lower total and LDL cholesterol levelsI. In an abstract written by Theuwissen E. Mensink, RP, he says the importance of increasing the intake of water-soluble dietary fibers is increasingly recognized for lowering serum LDL. He states that well-controlled intervention studies have shown that four major water-soluble fiber types-beta-glucan, psyllium, pectin and guar gum-effectively lower serum LDL cholesterol concentrations without affecting HDL cholesterol or triacylglycerol concentrations. In addition, Mensink says epidemiological studies suggest that a diet high in water-soluble fiber is inversely associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease.II
In another study conducted by the Department of Paramedical Sciences, Technikon Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa, researchers established that the water-soluble dietary fiber pectin significantly decreases the concentration of serum cholesterol levels. The authors wrote,
"Pectin supplementation caused significant decreases in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoprotein A and B and lipoprotein."III
"Pectin is a safe product for weight loss and lowering cholesterol. There are few, if any, reasons to avoid it, and many good reasons to try it."VI
Sarah Spagnuolo, MD
Mike Roizen, MD
"Pectin Pro Con," featured on the www.clevelandclinicwellness.com
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is often associated with high cholesterol levels, and pectin has also been studied to determine its ability to lower the risk of CVD.
In the Los Angeles Atherosclerosis Study, researchers measured the intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid arteries to estimate the relations between the progression of atherosclerosis and the intake of selective dietary fiber fractions. The study revealed that an intake of viscous fiber, especially pectin, appears to protect against IMT progression.VII
More studies with a wide variety of subjects and experimental conditions show that pectin significantly reduces blood cholesterol.IV
In a 1982 study, pectin was applied in combination with cholestyramine, a bile-acid sequestrant, and it was shown that pectin augmented the reduction of cholesterol by 20 percent, compared to cholestyramine alone.V
"Apples really are an amazing fruit for many reasons,"
says Jessica Shapiro, a clinical nutritionist who counsels cardiac patients at Montefore Medical Center in New York City. "A large reason apples are so good is the fiber... Another good thing in apples is pectin... pectin contributes to the viscosity of what's going through the body, and bulks it up to help remove it ."
A study conducted by the Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, designed to assess the long-term effect that apple consumption might have on cardiovascular health, revealed that women who ate dried apples every day for a year lowered their total cholesterol by 14 percent and their levels of LDL cholesterol by 23 percent VIII. Daily apple consumption also significantly lowered levels of C-reactive protein and lipid hydroperoxide, two substances that may indicate an increased risk of heart disease. The researchers also theorized that the nutrients in apples may reduce inflammation in the body. In addition to lowering their cholesterol, the women lost an average of 3.3 pounds IX.
The American Heart Association reports that adding soluble fiber to your diet will reduce your risk of heart disease and can reduce your bad cholesterol levels more than following a low-fat diet alone. Soluble fiber works to lower cholesterol by reducing the amount of it that is absorbed in the intestines, according to the Mayo Clinic X.
