Jam and jelly could help prevent the spread of cancer, say British researchers. Both contain pectin, a natural fiber found in fruits and vegetables that makes jams and jellies gel. Under special circumstances, which include the gelling process, pectin releases a molecular fragment that has anti-cancer properties.
Researchers found that the fragment released during gelling binds to galectin 3 (gal3), a protein that helps cancers grow. By binding to gal3, the pectin fragment slows the growth of blood vessels that nourish cancer growth and slows cancer cells from spreading in the body.
Although pectin is used in the manufacture of jams, jellies, yogurts, milk drinks and other foods, Professor Vic Morris of the U.K.’s Institute of Food Research believes that the pectin modified to use in the production of jams and jellies is most likely to create the anti-cancer effect.
One downside of jams and jellies, says the professor, is that they contain large amounts of sugar. Although Professor Morris doesn’t know if the pectin found in unprocessed fruits and vegetables also fights cancer, he warns about the amount of sugar used in jams and jellies. “It might be better to get the same protection from fruit and vegetables which would give you other anti-cancer magic bullets as well,” he says.
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