Glucose Reduction & Type II Diabetes
Apple pectin is a soluble fiber
which is beneficial to the body.
In addition to research that indicates apple pectin can support healthy cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, studies show that apple pectin may also help to support healthy blood glucose and insulin levels.
A study conducted by Perla M. Miranda, R.D., M.S. and David L. Horwitz, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.P. and reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine, indicates that patients with insulin-requiring diabetes who received a high-fiber diet had significantly lower mean serum glucagon levels than those who consumed a low-fiber diet. The report says that, "These data indicate that substantial changes in fiber content of the diabetic diet may lead to marked changes in diabetic control and that increasing dietary fiber may be a useful means of lowering plasma glucose in some diabetic patients."I
A 1977 study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine by researchers at the Medical Research Council of Gastroenterology Unit in London, England, compared the effects of pectin and guar gum on post-meal glucose levels in four healthy volunteers.
The results showed that both substances resulted in significant reductions in glucose levels.III
According to an American study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1988, apple pectin showed promise in improving glucose control after pectin supplementation. In the study, the diets of 12 type-2 diabetics were supplemented with 20g per day of apple pectin.
The study revealed that pectin supplementation improved glucose tolerance, as measured by three-hour incremental glucose changes following a test meal, by 19.8%.II
In 2010, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approved the health claim that "Consumption of pectins contributes to the reduction of the blood glucose rise after meals".IV Researchers believe the positive effects of pectin on post-meal glucose levels are mostly due to its ability to reduce gastric emptying rates, which in turn slows down the release of glucose into the bloodstream. Pectin may also increase the thickness of the mucosal layer of the intestines, which directly reduces the intestinal absorption of glucose.V
Pectin delays the stomach's effort to get at the fruit's sugars and starches,
"The South Beach Diet."
This gradual energy release prevents blood-sugar levels from fluctuating; when the blood-sugar fluctuates, insulin increases, states nutritionist Robert Pritikin.VI
