Lecithin For Weight Loss

The secret to burning body fat is in the speed of your metabolism.  A faster metabolism enables the body to burn fat faster, which is why active children normally don’t face weight issues.   However, as we age,  our metabolism slows down and it becomes more difficult to keep the extra pounds off.  The common question is:   what can we do to put the life back into a sluggish metabolism?

The liver is, of course, the key organ for fat metabolism.   Surprised?  The liver has various functions. It is the main organ for detoxifying the chemicals and pollutants in the body.  It also serves as plasma protein
synthesis, glycogen storage,  and bile production, which is important in digestion.  By the way, bile is also key to metabolizing the fats that are stored in the liver; it converts these fats into energy for the body to use.  

The connections between the  fat metabolism, liver and eventual weight loss may seem remote at first.   However, when you bring lecithin into the fold, you’ve found the key ingredient that brings them all together.

The Liver’s Role in Weight Loss

Many of us are regularly struggling with weight gain.  It’s an ongoing battle that some individuals spend a lifetime fighting.  We bear yo-yo dieting, with our weight constantly going up and down.   At the same time,  we contend with unbridled cravings and sluggish metabolisms.  In the end,  however, hardly anything ever works.

To be successful in weight loss,  you need to address the cause of the problem,  rather than constantly trying to tackle the symptoms.  A sluggish liver and congestion throughout the body will certainly lead to  malaise and fatigue,  but this is only part of the problem.  Weight gain is often linked to poor liver function.  When your liver is in such poor condition as to make it unable to do its basic functions, then there is a very likely chance that the condition will result in weight gain.   Excessive weight due to liver malfunction will often show as water retention, cellulite,  and extra inches around the abdomen.

Bile

One of the liver’s major functions is to secrete bile.  Also known as gall,  bile is a bitter, complex,  greenish-yellow alkaline fluid.  This fluid contains  electrolytes , water, and a battery of organic molecules including bile acids, bilirubin, cholesterol and phospholipids, or lecithin.  Bile is an essential element in digestion, particularly in the metabolism and absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins.   In addition,  many of the body’s waste products are excreted into the bile.

Lecithin plays a role in bile,  acting as an antioxidant and emulsifier.  It assists to disperse the cholesterol, and breaks it down into essential fatty acids.  Lecithin has a phosphate group that makes it hydrophobic,  so it will always move away from water,  as well as the fluids surrounding molecules.   Its lipophilic (fat-loving)  head moves toward the fats.  In effect,  lecithin helps to stabilize the fatty acid molecules by forming a semi-permeable, lipophilic/hydrophobic ring around them.  This emulsifying action helps to keep the bile stable and enables the liver to perform its many functions,  including  fat metabolism and cholesterol breakdown.

Lecithin For Weight Loss

In the years since scientists first discovered the role that lecithin plays in fat and cholesterol metabolism in the liver,  many researchers have concentrated their studies on the connection between weight loss and lecithin. Can lecithin truly contribute to weight loss? If so,  what evidence proves that there is indeed that connection between  lecithin and weight loss?

However, many of the studies remain unreported.  One investigation has some bearing on lecithin for weight loss. In this study,  choline was discovered to be a component of phosphatidylcholine,  one of the many names that scientists use to refer to lecithin. Choline, a nutrient essential to the human body, has the ability to break up cholesterol into small particles and allowing them to be easily controlled by the digestive system.  With a sufficient intake of lecithin, cholesterol is not able to build up within the walls of the arteries and veins.

The effect of lecithin on the liver can increase metabolism and,  as a result,  reduce extra pounds.  This compound is normally found in soy products and can also be taken as a supplement.  Try it as an addition to your exercise regime and healthy diet.

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Filed under: Lecithin