When Dr. James J. Cerda was working at the University of Florida under a grant from the Florida Citrus Commission, he, together with his partner Charles Burgin, initially intended to study Vitamin C. When they stumbled upon pectin from grapefruit and how it affected cholesterol level in guinea pigs, they knew they stumbled on something big. Soon, ProFibe would be launched.
Needless to say, it was a timely and significant discovery. In the U.S., heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women; in the future years, heart disease is projected to cost upwards of $250 bn, and that includes expenses on medications, health care services, and loss of productivity.
Worldwide, more than 7 million people die of coronary heart disease (CHD) every year. These studies also show that lowering high blood pressure and reducing cholesterol levels significantly reduce mortality from heart diseases, the need for angioplasty or heart bypass surgeries, and the probability of suffering from a nonfatal heart attack.
This is why when Cerda and Burgin developed ProFibe and saw the potential of pectin, combined with other plant-sourced substances, in preventing the accumulation of arterial plaque, they immediately worked on several lab studies to further support their initial findings.
For one such study, they gave pigs grapefruit pectin coupled with a high-fat diet. They found that those given pectin had lower cholesterol levels as well as fewer instances of arterial narrowing.
In another experiment, they wanted to know if pectin would still have a positive effect on swine which already had high cholesterol levels. They used fifteen microswine and fed these with an atherogenic diet for more than a year. One of the animals were killed and tested for atherosclerosis.
The rest were divided into two groups – both received the same diet consisting of pig feed, cholesterol, casein, lard, and vitamins and minerals. However, one group was given 3% cellulose (fiber) while the rest were fed 3% pectin from grapefruit. Every month for 9 months, blood samples were checked to find out their total triglyceride levels and plasma cholesterol.
Not surprisingly, both groups demonstrated stabilized cholesterol levels. This was to be expected as fiber has been known for years to keep cholesterol levels from increasing. When the microswine were autopsied, however, the scientists were amazed to find that the group that received cellulose showed a mean narrowing of the coronary artery of 45% while that receiving pectin registered a mean narrowing of only 24%!
It was then that Cerda and his colleagues discovered how ProFibe could actually reduce existing plaque buildup. The difference lies in ProFibe’s water solubility, which is a feature that most fiber supplements lack.
ProFibe is also made of guar gum (also a rich fiber source) and egg white protein (for palatability). It is sold in powder form which makes it convenient for use and is easily blended into foods and beverages.
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