When nuclear disasters expose millions to stealth health hazards, scientists race to uncover protective solutions in one of the most easily accessible, safe, and affordable foods that Nature provides humanity: apples
The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant catastrophe blanketed surrounding areas with dangerous radioactive particles. Cesium-137 (137Cs) comprised a large portion, its decades-long persistence inside the body steadily inflicting tissue damage. Thirty years later in neighboring Belarus, children's health still suffers, burdened by chronic 137Cs contamination from local food and milk sources. Desperately seeking protective solutions, researchers have uncovered an intriguing candidate to reduce this internal radiation -- a purified fiber extracted from apples.
In these published studies, children and teens from high cesium regions of Belarus showing signs of radiation-linked cardiovascular illness took daily oral apple pectin powder. Control groups consumed an inactive lookalike placebo powder. After just 16 days, pectin takers' 137Cs body concentrations dropped an impressive 62.6%, placebo only 13.9%.1 Remarkably for kids already eating non-contaminated foods, pectin still accelerated cesium excretion proving its specific binding ability in the gut.
Separately, French scientists injected rats with 137Cs then provided apple pectin compared to Prussian blue, an intravenous medication that traps cesium in the intestines limiting absorption.2 Though less dramatic, oral pectin moderately enhanced 137Cs clearance in organs via feces compared to untreated rodents whereas the injection worked better. Still, pectin's far greater accessibility and safety may make it worthwhile for preventive and therapeutic strategies, especially considering apple pectin has significant side benefits, including having potential therapeutic properties in the following 20+ conditions indexed on the Greenmedinfo.com apple pectin database. And over 100 potential therapeutic applications on the Greenmedinfo.com Apple database, which includes whole apples and apple polyphenols in addition to apple pectin,
Pectins comprise indigestible polysaccharides which constitute a large part of the sheer biomass of the plant kingdom. Apples feature nearly 10% pectin content.3 In making jellies and preserves, pectin crosslinks water molecules enabling gels that thickly coat and penetrate food surfaces. This viscous binding trait also grabs contaminant particles like 137Cs in the intestines, preventing their transit into blood circulation. Already confirming pectin's ability to remove lead, mercury and other toxins,4 this radiation protection adds incentive for abundant pectin consumption from apples and other fruits.
By demonstrating an affordable, available food substance lessening radiation's insidious impact on at-risk populations, these studies open new possibilities for safeguarding millions still endangered decades after nuclear accidents. And with renewed fears surfacing post-Ukraine and post-Israel/Palestine conflict that nuclear weapons conflicts are more likely to occur, procuring apple pectin for one's emergency preparation kit might be a wise move.
While research continues affirming efficacy, incorporating nature's safe heavy metal antidotes like pectins in daily diets appears a sensible precaution. We hope that our featuring of this important Chernobyl era research and proven outcomes will spark renewed interest in testing out whether apple pectin might also chelate and remove from the human body other heavy, radioactive elements such as Uranium-238 and Polonium-210.
References
1. Nesterenko, V.B., Nesterenko, A.V., Babenko, V.I. et al. Reducing the 137Cs-load in the organism of "Chernobyl" children with apple-pectin. Swiss Med Wkly 134, 24-27 (2004).
2. Le Gall, B., Taran, F., Renault, D. et al. Comparison of Prussian blue and apple-pectin efficacy on 137Cs decorporation in rats. Biochimie 88, 1837-1841 (2006).
3. Siddiqui S, Bharadwaj SV, Soni VK, Gupta G, Parmar SC, Verma AK, Mittal A. Pectin isolated from apple pomace as a green corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in 1M HCl solution. Int J Biol Macromol. 2021 Sep 15;185:849-860.
4. Zhao ZY, Liang L, Fan X, Yu Z, Hotchkiss AT, Wilk BJ, Eliaz I. The role of modified citrus pectin as an effective chelator of lead in children hospitalized with toxic lead levels. Altern Ther Health Med. 2008 Jul-Aug;14(4):34-8. PMID: 18665161.
