According to Memorial Sloan-Kattering Cancer Centre, the citrus pectin acts as a ligand for galectin-3, a protein involved in cell growth and cell cycles. Elevated galectin-3 is associated with inflammation of the heart and cancer tumours. Institute, N.B.11 and Walding10 had reported that pectin supplementation in the diet forbids excess galectin-3 from binding to receptors that