What's your take on modified citrus pectin as a supplement?

[southeast-isher]

Okay so we have a bit of science knowledge on this forum so i was wondering if anyone knew much about and what your take is on modified citrus pectin as a supplement?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modified_citrus_pectin

[frozenthunderbolt]

Why modify it when you can eat it direct - my brother loves eating meyer lemon pith and it is quite tasty imho. Thats where all the pectin is - high in fibre too. very good for you colon and some indication that it can act as a purifyer - strip toxins from your body - cant quote you a source offhand though sorry

[gregorach]

I'm innately suspicious of anything that claims to remove "toxins", because it's a woefully imprecise and much-abused term. Glancing quickly over the references for the wiki article, looks like there's some interesting initial studies of its effects on the development of cancer in animal models, but nothing definitive for use in humans. If it's a chelating agent as claimed, you want to be careful with it, because chelating agents can remove anions which are involved in the regulation of vital cellular functions. Another reason why I'm leery of any mention of "toxins" - many things people call "toxins" are actually vital for life, and only become problematic in high concentrations.

I'm generally of the opinion that most supplements have exactly one effect: to separate people from their cash. There are certainly exceptions, but unless you're actually suffering from some specific condition which indicates the need for supplementation of some kind, I would be inclined to say they're unnecessary. If you don't have cancer and you're not suffering heavy metal poisoning, I don't see why you'd bother with this stuff.

The statement (from the wiki article) that "MCP treatment modality is thought to promote wellness and optimize overall health" is precisely the sort of meaningless bafflegab favoured by snake-oil merchants throughout the ages.

[southeast-isher]

Thanks Dunc and Jeremy!