In recent years, lecithin has received much attention on its being a possible treatment for a variety of illnesses, including heart problems, high cholesterol, Alzheimer’s disease, and memory loss. Not only that, but manufacturers of lecithin supplements are also marketing the compound to help lose weight. However, is there some basis to all this?
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Let us first examine what the compound lecithin is. Generally speaking, lecithin refers to a complex mixture of phosphate acids naturally found in foods that we eat, including egg yolk, soybeans, wheat germ, grape seed, and virtually every plant and animal. The compound acts as an emulsifier, maintaining the fats in bile and relieving digestion to help the body better absorb valuable nutrients.
But when scientists speak of lecithin, they generally mean the compound element phosphatidyl choline or PC. Phosphatidyl choline is an important component in the formation of cell membranes and cell walls, which play a role in facilitating the movement of fluids in and out of the cell. Steven Zeisel, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of the department of nutrition at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, says that lecithin also helps to maintain the structural integrity of cells.
He further says, “Without lecithin, nothing would survive, because you wouldn’t be able to separate the various compartments within cells, nor would you be able to separate cells from each other.”
When phosphatidyl choline enters the body, it turns into choline, an important nutrient. In fact, the claims revolving around lecithin supplement can all be traced back to this element – choline. As an important nutrient, choline cannot be manufactured inside the body. For us to get the supply of it, we must turn to our daily diet and supplements such as lecithin supplement.
Choline is very important because it is one of only two nutrients required by the liver to promote the breakdown of fats. The other nutrient is methionine, which is an essential amino acid.
Fat-Emulsifier
Choline is known as a lipotropic agent. As such, it encourages or promotes the export of fat from the liver. If you want to keep your liver healthy and capable of burning the exported fat for additional energy, then taking in lecithin supplements may help to maintain your daily supply of choline.
Lecithin supplements prevent bile and fats to become trapped in the liver, which could happen if you do not have enough supply of lipotropics, such as choline in your body. This in turn could cause severe problems, including cirrhosis of the liver and blocking of fat metabolism, which could lead to high blood cholesterol and atherosclerosis.
Choline in lecithin supplements performs as a methyl donor. It is required for proper liver function as it helps in detoxification reactions that normally occur in the liver.
The Best Source of Choline
The best source of choline is still a healthy and well-balanced diet that contains lecithin-rich foods. But one cannot expect everyone to get enough supply of choline. To answer for whatever is missing in your choline levels, lecithin supplements are there for that purpose.
Tagged with: lecithin benefits • soya benefits
Filed under: Lecithin