Supplement · graded by use, three uses
PectaSol Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP)
PSA kinetics in non-metastatic biochemically relapsed prostate cancer.
Grade D, not yet tested: no human randomized trial has been run. This D records missing trials, not a finding that it does not work. How to read a grade →
This product is pectin from citrus peel, changed so it is easier to absorb. It is sold for men with prostate cancer that has come back. Two studies tracked a prostate blood test in men taking it, but neither had a comparison group, so the results cannot show it worked. When it was tested against a dummy pill for heart changes in high blood pressure and for knee arthritis, it did not help.
The D belongs to one of the three uses graded on this record. The other two carry their own letters.
As studied, and the trials
Guess et al. (2003; PMID PubMed ID: the permanent number the US National Library of Medicine gives a published paper. Each one links to that paper's record on PubMed. 14663471) and Keizman et al. (2021 and 2023; PMID 34959847, PMID 37630724) are single-arm studies without a control group, the later two sponsored by the maker with its developer as co-author. PSA doubling time and PSA stability can change without treatment in this population, so uncontrolled figures cannot carry a letter. No randomized trial in prostate cancer exists: D on Route 1 No human randomized trial has been run, so the record rests on animal or mechanistic evidence only. One of the two routes to the lowest letter on EBL's scale..
As studied, and the trials
Lau et al. (JACC Basic Transl Sci, 2021; PMID 33532663): the one placebo-controlled trial in cardiovascular use; galectin-3 inhibition with the pectin did not change collagen markers. Tested and no benefit, one trial: D on Route 2 Human randomized trials have been run and did not show benefit on the stated outcome. One of the two routes to the lowest letter on EBL's scale..
As studied, and the trials
Andrews et al. (Contemp Clin Trials Commun, 2020; PMID 31872160): 12 weeks of the pectin did not improve disease burden against placebo An inactive substitute made to look like the real treatment, so participants cannot tell which one they received. and did not change galectin-3. Tested and no benefit, one small trial: D on Route 2.
Read the grade that matches your goal. How EBL grades by use →
A letter describes the human evidence, not the product, the manufacturer, or the ingredient's worth.
See the full evidence record →Funding: Both trials this Grade D rests on were funded by industry or funders the reports do not identify: Guess 2003 (PMID 14663471) by a funder the indexed report does not name; Keizman 2021 (PMID 34959847) by the maker of the product it tested. The funder's role in design and analysis is not stated here, because the full trial reports could not be read. The letter is what the trials support under the grading rules; the funding is stated here so it can be weighed alongside it.
No human randomized trial has tested this at the dose and form graded, so there is nothing for a higher letter to rest on. A Route 1 Grade D records the absence of trials. It is not a finding against the compound, and it is not a finding that the compound is safe, because neither has been established. It may turn out to work once someone tests it. The grade moves when a qualifying human trial reports.
PSA kinetics in two single-arm prostate studies, no randomized trial; the two placebo-controlled trials in other uses were null.
Why this gradeGrade D, not yet tested. The reasoning, and what the grade does not cover.
Grade D. For the prostate use the record grades, no randomized trial exists: Guess 2003 (PMID 14663471) and Keizman 2021 and 2023 (PMID 34959847, PMID 37630724) are single-arm Phase II studies without a control group, the later two sponsored by the maker, whose developer is a co-author; D on Route 1 for that use. The product has been tested in two placebo-controlled trials in other uses and failed both: collagen markers in hypertension with raised galectin-3 (Lau et al., 2021; PMID 33532663) and knee osteoarthritis symptoms (Andrews et al., 2020; PMID 31872160), each D on Route 2 on its own row.
WHAT THIS GRADE DOES NOT COVERmetal binding, which rests on uncontrolled studies by the developer and carries no letter; galectin-3 lowering as an outcome, which no trial has linked to a clinical change; and generic modified citrus pectin products, which differ in molecular weight and were not the tested material.
A grade describes the human evidence for a named use. It is not advice, and it is not a judgment on any individual prescription. How the letters are decided →
Who responds: this record's trial reading reports no subgroup that identifies who responds.
As studied: dose, form, population and duration for every use
A grade describes the intervention that was tested. Where the product on the shelf differs from it, this says so.
How this letter has changed · latest: October 2026 · Changed
The record already named the two null trials in its ref but graded nothing on them. They now carry their own rows: collagen markers in hypertension with raised galectin-3 (Lau et al., JACC Basic Transl Sci, 2021; PMID 33532663) and knee osteoarthritis symptoms (Andrews et al., Contemp Clin Trials Commun, 2020; PMID 31872160), each tested once without benefit, D on Route 2. The prostate use stays D Route 1 on its own row: the 78 percent without PSA progression (Keizman et al., 2021; PMID 34959847) is an uncontrolled figure, now said so, and the 18-month extension (Keizman et al., 2023; PMID 37630724) reports only the 39 men who responded at six months. The developer's review (Eliaz et al., Nutrients, 2019; PMID 31683865) and the combination cell work (Jiang et al., Integr Cancer Ther, 2013; PMID 22532035) are labeled as background and mechanism. The observational Research that watches what people already do rather than assigning a treatment. It can show that two things travel together, not that one causes the other. flag is removed from a record whose studies are single-arm interventional. Headline D unchanged. Applied the written grade definition under the editor's standing instruction of October 2026 (Arnold Sandlow, D.C.).PMID 22532035 PMID 31683865 PMID 31872160 PMID 33532663 PMID 34959847 PMID 37630724
The record carried a C on two prostate cancer studies that measured PSA doubling time in 13 and 59 men (Guess et al., Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis 2003; Keizman et al., Nutrients 2021). Neither had a control group. A PubMed search in October 2026 for randomized controlled trials People are assigned to the treatment or a comparison by chance, so the groups differ only in what they received. It is the design that can show cause and effect. of modified citrus pectin returned none, for any outcome. Under EBL's rule a C needs human randomized evidence, so the letter moves to D on Route 1: untested, which is different from tested and failed. The record's notes also carried a stale sentence arguing for a B on galectin-3 reduction; it is gone. Five independent reviews of the second citation check reached the same reading.PMID 14663471 PMID 34959847
Funding stated beside the letter. The prostate study Keizman 2021 (PMID 34959847) was sponsored by the maker of PectaSol, and its co-author Isaac Eliaz is the company's developer; he is also the sole author of the review Eliaz 2019 (PMID 31683865). The earlier study, Guess 2003 (PMID 14663471), names no funder. Letter unchanged.PMID 34959847 PMID 31683865 PMID 14663471
Every change to a letter on this site is dated and published. The full evidence log →
Commercial disclosure
EBL earns no commission on any supplement it grades. A purchase made through the dispensary link below pays EBL nothing, the practitioner discount goes to you in full. The dispensary is Fullscript, a practitioner dispensary, and many of the professional-grade brands in it are sold mainly through practitioners rather than in health food stores. Grades are assigned by published rubric before any commercial relationship exists and are never influenced by one. Full disclosure.
6 capsules (5 g) once daily for maintenance; up to 15 g/day (6 capsules 3x/day) for intensive support. Also available as powder (1 scoop = 5 g).
The clinical evidence located was generated with the PectaSol and PectaSol-C modified citrus pectin formulations. Generic MCP products may differ in molecular weight and degree of esterification, and were not the tested material.
The cited prostate cancer studies gave daily doses (PMID 14663471, PMID 34959847). They do not state a time of day or whether doses were taken with food.
Checked against the full report for 1 of the 2 cited studies, and the published summary for the rest. What the cited trials did, not a schedule. Every supplement, by trial timing →
How to buy this: quality criteria, not a brand
5g/day maintenance; up to 15g/day intensive (PectaSol).
PectaSol (molecular weight <15 kDa) is the only MCP with clinical studies. Standard citrus pectin doesn’t absorb, and generic MCP uses different MW ranges.
PectaSol named on the label.
Generic “modified citrus pectin” or standard citrus pectin sold as equivalent.
The grade and these criteria are set only from human trials. Any purchase link is convenience and does not affect the grade.
Citrus allergy, since it is derived from citrus pith. Rare cross-reactivity with cashew and pistachio has been reported.
Modified citrus pectin binds metals, so it can reduce absorption of mineral supplements and of drugs that depend on divalent cations, which is a timing problem. Anticoagulants: antiplatelet activity has been reported, making this a mechanistic caution. Its studied use in oncology settings belongs with the treating team.
Mechanism-based, no human interaction study located. The drug interactions described for PectaSol Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP) are mechanism-based. A PubMed search for human interaction, pharmacokinetic or co-administration studies pairing it with anticoagulant, antiplatelet returned no results in August 2026. The caution stands on pharmacology, not on a trial, and is labeled as such. Basis: pharmacological mechanism, not a human study. Searched PubMed in August 2026: 2 queries, 0 human results.
For prostate-cancer use, PSA kinetics should be managed in the oncology context because the human PectaSol studies used PSA/PSA-doubling-time endpoints The outcome a trial measures to decide whether the treatment worked, such as heart attacks, blood pressure or a symptom score.. Galectin-3 can be measured, but the prostate studies did not establish it as a validated standalone treatment-response marker.
Primary evidenceSeven papers, each linked to its PubMed record.
Guess et al. (Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis, 2003; PMID 14663471): single-arm study, 13 men with rising PSA after local treatment, 10 evaluated; PSA doubling time lengthened in 7 of 10 over 12 months, compared with each man's own earlier course. Keizman et al. (Nutrients, 2021; PMID 34959847): single-arm Phase II study, 59 men with non-metastatic biochemically relapsed prostate cancer, PectaSol 4.8 g three times daily; 78 percent without PSA progression at six months, a figure with no control group behind it, in a population where PSA can remain stable for long periods without treatment. Keizman et al. (Nutrients, 2023; PMID 37630724): the 18-month extension, reporting only the 39 men who continued after responding at six months; 85 percent with a durable response among that selected group, sponsored by the maker. Neither study had a control group. Eliaz et al. (Nutrients, 2019; PMID 31683865) is a review by the product's developer, background only; Jiang et al. (Integr Cancer Ther, 2013; PMID 22532035) is cell work on modified citrus pectin combined with two polybotanical compounds, mechanism only and not evidence for the pectin alone. Two placebo-controlled trials of the manufacturer's product in other uses were null: Lau et al. (JACC Basic Transl Sci, 2021; PMID 33532663), NIH-funded, 68 adults with hypertension and raised galectin-3, 4.8 g three times daily for 6 months against placebo, collagen markers unchanged; and Andrews et al. (Contemp Clin Trials Commun, 2020; PMID 31872160), 50 patients with knee osteoarthritis, 4 g twice daily for 12 weeks against placebo, no difference on WOMAC, SF-36 or RAPID3 and no change in serum galectin-3; neither is indexed in PubMed as a randomized trial, which is why the record's search did not return them; the manufacturer supplied the product in both and sponsored the Keizman prostate study, whose co-author Isaac Eliaz is the developer of the sponsoring company and the sole author of the 2019 review cited; funding of the Guess 2003 (PMID 14663471) study is not stated in its indexed record. Grade D, Route 1 for the prostate use: no randomized trial in prostate cancer. Single-arm PSA kinetics cannot carry a letter above D under EBL's rule.
PectaSol-C is a proprietary formulation of ecoNugenics. EBL earns no commission on PectaSol-C or on any other graded supplement. Where a reader orders it through the practitioner dispensary, the practitioner margin is passed to the reader and EBL is paid nothing. The grade reflects the published human trial evidence and nothing else.
Educational use only · Not medical advice · Starting, stopping or changing any supplement or medication is a decision for your physician
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The grade on this page describes the strength of published human trial evidence in the populations studied. It is not a recommendation for any individual and is not medical advice. Starting, stopping or changing any supplement or medication is a decision for your physician.
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