16 Oct Lecithin and Why Taking It Matters
As a young girl, my father often escorted the family into the kitchen for his unusual demonstrations. One was to watch as he threw lecithin granules into a pot of bacon grease so we could see the lecithin act like detergent in breaking up the fat. Now, decades later, I am just realizing the significance of that….
Lecithin has been studied for 100 years and its uses can’t be underestimated. If you read the food labels, you will see it lurking about everywhere; in canned goods, in baked goods, in cooking sprays and make up. Because of its properties as a fat emulsifier, it simultaneously reacts with both oil and water and produces a stable emulsion.
But let’s look at the more applicable implications in human health. Your brain is a fatty organ (about 60 percent is fat) and the dry composition of the brain shows about 30 percent of it as lecithin. Lecithin is a fat-like substance known as a phospholipid, and more specifically, phosphatidylcholine, and is an excellent source of B vitamins, choline and inositol. Lecithin is in every single cell of the body, but mostly concentrated in the brain, heart, liver and kidneys. Cell membranes, which allow nutrients to leave or enter a cell, are largely composed of lecithin.
Lecithin-derived choline is one of the few things taken up by the brain directly from circulating blood and thus crosses the blood brain barrier. In the brain it is transformed into acetylcholine, a vital neurotransmitter for the transmission of messages from one nerve to another. It effects memory, concentration, thinking ability and muscle control. Not only does it play a role in brain development and improve memory, but studies show that infant rats who receive choline supplements experience lifelong memory enhancement due to changes in the memory center of their brains. Lecithin surrounds the myelin sheath, the fatty substance that coats the nerve endings, so it is helpful reducing involuntary movements and also assists with children with hyperactivity, concentration, thinking ability and memory. Dr. Feingold, author of the famous “Feingold Diet” uses lecithin extensively in his supplemental program for children with hyperactivity.
In the liver, lecithin metabolizes clogging fat and reduces and helps to stop liver degeneration. And by reducing a fatty liver and increasing bile acids, it decreases the level of proteins associated with fatty acids and triglycerides, and thus regulates deposits of fats in tissues and it regulates and lowers glucose levels in the blood. And more importantly, improves insulin sensitivity and helps lower cholesterol. In a 2008 study, participants took 500 mg daily and after 2 months showed a total cholesterol reduction by 42 percent and a LDL cholesterol reduction of 56 percent. Studies have shown that you compound the beneficial effects from essential fatty acids, the Omegas, if you match that amount with lecithin.
Lecithin can act as a protective wall or sheath throughout the body to protect and strengthen membranes and prevent debris from sticking. Internal parts and mechanisms that are affected by hardening, such as the arteries, are kept malleable and help to lower destructive lesions. It also helps in protection of the skin by adding a protective barrier to allergens and toxins, thus keep the skin less reactive. And thus, there are implications for help to those who suffer from eczema and psoriasis.
Supplementing with lecithin apparently increases immune function by increasing macrophage activity by 29 percent. Macrophages engulf debris, microbes, cancer cells and other foreign matter. Also, the killer cells called lymphocytes, vital to the immune system, increased by a whopping 92 percent in non-diabetic rats.
Dear to the heart of most is lecithin’s effect on the gut. Phospholipids (lecithin) account for about 70 percent of the intestinal mucus layer. It works like a surfactant, and acts as a barrier to invasion of colonic pathogenetic bacterium, ulcerative conditions, and mucosal inflammation. So consider supplementation is you have IBS or IBD. Fun fact, they use lecithin to help horses prevent and reverse gastric ulcers because it strengthens the stomach lining.
One of the more exciting research areas of lecithin are notable improvements in the auditory processing function in children. There are reports from speech pathologists and parents telling of greatly improved auditory processing (hearing and remembering) in children who take lecithin.
Of the many forms of lecithin, including soft gels, liquid and granules, the most potent and easiest to use are the granules. One tablespoon of granules equals about 10 soft gels. There are many types and sources, but the main ones include egg lecithin, soy lecithin + non GMO soy lecithin, and sunflower lecithin. My favorite is sunflower lecithin because it is non GMO and can use a gentler extraction method. So when you are in your cupboard getting those supplements ready for the day, don’t pass on the lecithin granules to throw on your yogurt or cereal or in your morning smoothie. You just might be amazed.
Debby Whitlow-Ojeda, ND is a Naturopathic Doctor, certified by the American Naturopathic Medical Certification Board and licensed by the Guardian Ecclesiastical Medical Association (GEMA). She is also a Certified Life Coach, Certified Master Iridologist, and Certified Nutritional Consultant spanning 40 years in the health & wellness industry.
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