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.
– by: David Gutierrez