foodconsumer.org: Apple pectin helps metabolic syndrome

Apple pectin helps metabolic syndrome
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admin on 06/12/2008 22:11:00
 
The study showed that highly methoxylated apple pectin (HMAP) had an effect on
cholesterol reduction similar to that of beta-glucan which has been known to
have hypocholesterolemic effects.
The study was conducted in Zucker rats, the model used to study genetic obesity
and the human metabolic syndrome, and the results were published in the journal
of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
In the study, researchers fed the three groups of female rats a standard diet, a
standard diet supplemented with 10 percent apple pectin with a 73 percent
methylation degree, and a standard diet supplemented with beta-glucan for seven
weeks.
Both supplement groups had reductions in blood insulin levels and insulin
resistance and secretion.
The apple pectin group also experienced a greater reduction in body weight,
total cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood glucose levels than the beta-glucan
group.
Metabolic syndrome comes with a cluster of symptoms including obesity,
hypertension, and disturbed glucose and insulin metabolism. The condition has
been associated with elevated risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular
disease.
If the results can be duplicated in humans, the apple pectin may benefit an
estimated 35 percent of American adults with metabolic syndrome.
By David Liu, Ph.D., and edited by Heather Kelley.
Jun 12, 2008 - 5:19:55 PM