Pectins

Fermentable fibers

The cement of plant cell walls, gelling and highly fermentable. It is what makes quince jelly set without adding anything.

It is concentrated in the skin and the core: peeling a fruit removes most of it.

Effects and benefits

The cement of fruit, which sets jams, also lowers cholesterol. It takes 6 g a day; and in one trial, two apples a day for eight weeks pushed LDL cholesterol down compared with an equally sweet drink.

Pectin is a gel waiting to happen: in the gut, it thickens, slows the passage of sugars and holds back some of the bile, which the liver must rebuild from cholesterol. 6 g of pectins a day contribute to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels, and 10 g taken with a meal contribute to a reduction of the blood glucose rise that follows (Regulation 432/2012).

The two-apple trial has become a classic. Forty adults with slightly high cholesterol ate two apples a day for eight weeks, then for eight more drank a fiber-free apple drink with the same sugar. With the apples, total and LDL cholesterol fell (Koutsos et al., 2020); pectins and the polyphenols of the skin worked together.

In the colon, they are fermented quickly by many bacteria, including Bacteroides, great specialists of complex sugars. Citrus, quinces, apples and currants are the richest.

Sources: EU Regulation 432/2012 · Koutsos et al., AJCN, 2020

Pectins

Effects and benefits

Where to find it (28)

Also, in smaller amounts (398)