|
As a dietary fiber, apple pectin is helpful in maintaining good
digestive health. Fruits rich in apple pectin include the peach,
apple, currant, and plum. Protopectin, present in unripe fruits, is
converted to pectin as the fruit ripens. Pectin forms a colloidal
solution in water and gels on cooling. When fruits are cooked with
the correct amount of sugar, and when the acidity is optimum and the
amount of pectin present is sufficient, jams and jellies can be
made. In overripe fruits, the pectin becomes pectic acid, which does
not form jelly with sugar solutions.
An indigestible, soluble
fiber, apple pectin is a general intestinal regulator that is used
in many medicinal preparations, especially as an anti-diarrhea
agent. Our ancestors believed the old proverb "an apple a day keeps
the doctor away.” Today, nutritional scientists research for
evidences that verify how apples are good for our health. Apples are
rich in pectin, a soluble fiber, which is effective in lowering
cholesterol levels.
Researchers at the University of
California, Davis, found that apple pectin also acts as an
antioxidant against the damaging portion of cholesterol in the blood
stream. Many researchers suggest that people who eat fatty foods
should, if possible, wash down this food with apple juice rather
than the usual drink. Researchers have found that raw apples are the
richest of fruits in pectin, with the jonagold variety of apple
leading other varieties.
It has been established that a diet
rich in apple pectin may help protect against certain diseases.
Research in Japan supports that apple pectin can also decrease the
chances of colon cancer. Apple pectin helps maintain intestinal
balance by cleansing the intestinal tract with its soluble and
insoluble fibers. Apple pectin tends to increase acidity in the
large intestines and is advocated for those suffering from ulcer or
colitis and for regulating blood pressure. Pectin is also effective
in causing regressions in and preventing gallstones. There is also
evidence that the regular use of apple pectin may lessen the
severity of diabetes.
|
