American Complementary and Integrative Medicine experts recommend different levels of consumption - one suggests5 grams, 3 times a day on an empty stomach for use with cancer patients and after cancer surgery and biopsies; another suggests just 6 grams a day. There is no research on this with humans. A randomized controlled trial involving 87 patients with IBS and diarrhea symptoms showed that those who took daily pectin had significantly fewer symptoms, more formed stools, and better quality of life than those who took placebo.

J.R. Sádaba, et al., “Role for Galectin-3 in Calcific Aortic Valve Stenosis,” J. Am. Heart Assoc. 5(11), pii: e004360 (2016). In the EU, MCP holds potential for strengthening immune and overall health formulas when combined with ingredients approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for immunity: beta-glucans, astaxanthin, Grifola frondosa (Maitake) and Lentinus edodes (Shiitake), vitamins B6, C and D, and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM).

I. Eliaz, et al., “The Effect of Modified Citrus Pectin on Urinary Excretion of Toxic Elements,” Phytother. Res. 20(10), 859–864 (2006). Modified Citrus Pectinhas had the long pectin molecules broken into smaller pieces, each of which remains a polysaccharide. Polysaccharides are known to be important in cellular communication and in boosting the immune system.

R. Di, et al., “Pectic Oligosaccharide Structure-Function Relationships: Prebiotics, Inhibitors of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Adhesion and Reduction of Shiga Toxin Cytotoxicity in HT29 Cells,” Food Chem. 227, 245–254 (2017). As our understanding of the role of galectins in cancer and fibrosis has improved, various chemical and biological agents that target GAL1, GAL3 and GAL9 have been developed. These agents include small-molecule chemical inhibitors, natural polysaccharides and their synthetic derivatives, peptides and peptidomimetics, and biological agents such as small interfering RNA (siRNA), aptamers, truncated galectins and neutralizing mAbs. In the next section, we describe both the advances and the difficulties in the development and clinical evaluation of current galectin-targeted agents. Small-molecule carbohydrate inhibitors J. Ibarrola, et al., “Galectin-3 Down-Regulates Antioxidant Peroxiredoxin-4 in Human Cardiac Fibroblasts: A New Pathway to Induce Cardiac Damage,” Clin. Sci. (Lond). 132(13), 1471–1485 (2018).Other polysaccharides have also emerged as potential galectin inhibitors. For example, RN1 ( 20, Fig. 4), an arabinogalactan polysaccharide isolated from the flowers of the Chinese ginseng plant ( Panax notoginseng), was proposed as a GAL3 inhibitor. This compound showed antitumoural activity in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma both in vitro and in vivo 236. Other ginseng-derived pectins prevented GAL3-driven T cell apoptosis and reduced tumour growth in mouse models of sarcoma 237. Peptides and peptidomimetics These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. As a dietary supplement, for maximum support, take 15 grams per day (3 scoops) in 2-3 divided doses, mixed with liquid, on an empty stomach. For maintenance support, take 1 scoop per day, mixed with liquid, on an empty stomach, or as recommended by your healthcare practitioner.

Today, Gal-3 heralds one of the fastest growing fields of medical research, with compelling new data and large-scale studies continuing to highlight the mechanisms by which the overexpression of Gal-3 acts as an upstream initiator for an exhaustive range of pathogenic processes. As the research on this form of MCP continues, it’s critical to note that, in the nutraceutical world, MCP is not a carefully defined term. Experts emphasise that other “modified” citrus pectins do not offer the same benefits as the only researched, clinically studied and substantiated MCP. Siegel R.L., Miller K.D., Jemal A. Cancer Statistics. Cancer J. Clin. 2019;69:7–34. doi: 10.3322/caac.21551.

The American Cancer Society states that ’Severalanimal studies found that MCP helped reduce the spread of prostate, breast, and skin cancer. Animals with these types of cancer that were fed MCP had a much lower risk of the tumor spreading to the lungs’.