What is Lecithin
Lecithin is a nice easy word we like to use to refer to Phosphatidylcholine, a very important component of the mucus layer in our large intestines. This mucus layer functions to protect the intestines from air-raids and flat out bomb attacks from colonic bacteria!
As a dietary supplement however, Lecithin generally comes from soybeans or egg yolks, so you have no need to worry that you are ingesting unsavoury appendages from your fellow beings. Obviously for vegans and people allergic to eggs its important that you make sure you get the soy lecithin, which you’ll find is the more common product found on the market these days anyway.
Why Would I Consider Lecithin Supplements or Foods?
Lecithin has been credited with a number of benefits for our bodies, namely lowering cholesterol levels, assisting weight loss and maintaining healthy liver function, and even preventing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease! Let’s check these claims out in further detail to see if the claims have any grounds…
Lecithin is a good source of polyunsaturated fats, which may be why it is commonly marketed as a means to lowering cholesterol levels – this is provided that lecithin is used instead of other fats. While there have been some studies citing dramatic drops in cholesterol levels with regular lecithin consumption, a large body of studies have yielded no effect of lecithin consumption at all on cholesterol levels. The jury is still out on this one, and as is always the case one must take a critical eye to scientific studies and make up your own mind about the claims.
As for lecithin’s implication in weight loss, lecithin is a natural fat emulsifier in the body that prevents fat cells from accumulating in the liver. Supplement companies are suggesting that lecithin supplements assist the liver in breaking down fat cells. As with any supplement advertised as a quick fix to all your weight problems, the supplement will only be of real benefit to you if you also exercise regularly and eat a balanced diet full of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Due to lecithin’s role as an emulsifier that assists the liver in breaking down fat cells and keeping them in liquid form so that they don’t cling to our arteries, the claim of lecithin supplements to maintain healthy liver function is perhaps the most promising!
Lecithin is also hailed for its production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the body, and has been implicated in preventing Alzheimer’s disease since low levels of acetylcholine are found in the brains of sufferers of Alzheimer’s. Research has only just begun in this area and some studies look promising, so lecithin might be a supplement that the elderly will like to keep handy as a preventative to this debilitating disease.
How Much Lecithin Can I Eat in a Day
In all honesty you can get all the lecithin you need in your daily intake of foods, provided your diet contains any of the lecithin-rich snacks such as soybeans, eggs, liver, whole grains and milk. If you want the polyunsaturated varieties of lecithin, stick to soy, egg and wholegrain sources since animal derived sources (liver, brains, kidneys) are of the saturated fat variety.
For those who don’t eat enough of the lecithin containing food groups or for elderly people looking to boost their lecithin intake, around 8 grams of lecithin granules sprinkled onto a fruit salad or blended in a smoothie will ensure that you are getting the benefits and not overdoing it. It’s preferable that you have the lecithin granules rather than the capsules, since the powdering of capsule ingredients usually compromises the quality of the product and reduces effectiveness.
And remember, not all supplements were created alike! Look for granular lecithin that has 98 percent or more phosphatidylcholine content, so you know that you are getting the real deal and not a watered down version that might be cheaper but it’ll be doing less for you.
