About Modified Citrus Pectin
Citrus fruit fiber contains pectin — a starchy material made up of chains of ‘sugar’ molecules such as galactose. Citrus pectin
molecules are too large to be absorbed through the walls of the digestive tract into the body. Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP)
is citrus pectin that has been turned into smaller molecules that dissolve and are absorbed well.
MCP is currently being investigated as an inhibitor of cancer metastasis (the formation of new tumors by migrating cancer
cells). This approach to cancer treatment is based on the observation that MCP prevents migrating cells from adhering to cell
surfaces at potential metastatic target sites thus preventing new tumors from forming there.
The approach is bearing fruit. For example, in one experiment 32 rats were implanted with human prostate cancer cells; 16
of these rats were then given a water supply containing 1% MCP. The number of metastatic tumors in the MCP group was dramatically
less than that in the control group.
MCP has been shown in clinical studies to be completely safe.