Lecithin

What is lecithin? Lecithin is a yellow phospholipid necessary for the metabolism of fats. You find lecithin in egg yolk and in many animal and plant cells plasma membrane. Lecithin is a substance manufactured naturally by the liver. There are many interesting lecithin facts such as they manufacture most commercial lecithin products sold today from soybeans, grape seed, and sunflowers. Some other interesting facts about lecithin are that as a supplement, it has been popular and used for many years due to its ability to lower cholesterol. They have recently started using lecithin for depression problems. For people that enjoy cooking and appreciate the effects of lecithin, there is a lecithin fortune cookie recipe. You can mix lecithin granules with food as a nutritional supplement. They claim that some of the benefits of lecithin supplements include:

• Gallstone treatment
  
• Cardiovascular health
  
• Arthritis relief
  
• Cell and liver function
  
• Enhanced muscle endurance and physical performance
  
• Fat metabolism and fat transport
  
• Cell communication
  
• Healthy skin and hair
  
• Improved learning, memory, and reaction time
  
• Lecithin breast enhancement
  

The most important benefit is probably lowering cholesterol, which benefits the heart. There are very few side effects for lecithin as it is virtually nontoxic. Although lecithin side effects are few, high intakes of lecithin + reactions to this could include acute gastrointestinal distress, salivation, and sweating.

What is soy lecithin? Soy lecithin and choline are two of the many beneficial, healthy substances that you find in soybeans. Soya lecithin helps your liver, circulatory system, and heart remain healthy while maintaining normal function of the body. Although there are very few problems with soy lecithin, they have discovered that in some people it does cause allergies. Up until around the late 1920’s, commercially available lecithin was normally developed from egg yolk and later from soybeans.

Soy lecithin products are available in many forms such as granules, soft gels, liquid lecithin, lecithin capsules, and lecithin tablets. Studies show that in addition to lowering blood cholesterol levels that are moderately elevated, it often helps relieve liver disease symptoms such as liver pressure and loss of appetite. Some people find soy lecithin helps lower fevers and stops headaches although not verified medically. Because of the estrogen-like compounds found in soybeans, soy lecithin could ease menopause symptoms and even reduce breast cancer tumors, which are estrogen-dependent. Always talk to your family doctor before taking any lecithin supplements.