Apple Pectin Helps Prevent Colorectal Cancer

Apple Pectin Helps Prevent Colorectal Cancer

The pectin from apple peels and extracts of apple juice appear to increase the production of a chemical associated with protection from colon cancer, according to a new study conducted by German researchers and published in the journal Nutrition.

The researchers fermented fecal slurry from healthy volunteers with either apple pectin, apple juice extract, or a combination of the two. They found that the concentrations of a short chain fatty acid (SCFA) known as butyrate were higher in the samples that had been fermented with apple pectin. Concentrations of other SCFAs were also elevated.

"Butyrate not only serves as a major nutrient for the colon epithelia [lining] but is also thought to play an important role in the protective effect of natural fiber against colorectal cancer," the researchers wrote.

Butyrate appeared to inhibit the production of histone deacetylases (HDAC), which have been linked to the development of precancerous cells and tumors. When the researchers tested the fermented fecal slurries on both healthy and cancerous colon cells, they found that the production of HDAC was significantly inhibited.

The slurries fermented with apple juice did not have butyrate levels as high as those fermented with pectin, but they inhibited HDAC production just as effectively. A combination of pectin and apple juice, however, was no more effective than pectin alone. This led the researchers to hypothesize that while apple juice contains still-unknown HDAC inhibitors other than butyrate, butyrate is the most significant inhibitor for the human body.

The study is part of a growing interest in the cancer-suppressing qualities of fruits and vegetables. Another recent study found that freeze-dried grape powder appears to hamper the development of colorectal cancer cells. This effect is believed to arise from the chemical resveratrol, rather than from pectin. But researchers have noted that the cancer-fighting properties of fruits and vegetables often arise from complex interactions between different ingredients.

Sources for this story include: www.foodnavigator-usa.com.