What Is Lecithin
What is lecithin? You are probably familiar with the word. In fact, you may even be taking it as a supplement. But what is lecithin really? Where does it come from? And what can it do for you? ‘What is lecithin?’ and other such questions are what we are going to tackle in this article.
What is Lecithin?
Actually the term lecithin connotes two meanings that are somewhat related but are not used in the same sense. In biochemistry and other related science, lecithin is a synonym for phosphatidyl choline. It is the main lipid component in biological membranes, like our cell membranes or cell walls of plants. On the other hand, commercial lecithin is actually a natural mixture of neutral and polar lipids, including glycolipids, triglycerides, sterols, and small quantities of fatty acids, carbohydrates, and sphingolipids. The polar lipid Phosphatidyl choline is present in commercial lecithin in concentrations of 20 to 90%.
Where does lecithin come from?
After asking what is lecithin, you want to know where it is found. Lecithin that contains phosphatidyl choline is produced mainly from vegetable sources, although it may also be found in animal and microbial sources. Majority of commercial lecithins sold in the market today come from soybean (mostly), sunflower, and grape seed. When talking about plant lecithins, the most common source is soybean.
When Maurice Gobley, the French scientist discoverer of lecithin, found lecithin in egg yolk in 1950, egg yolk was the sole source of lecithin used by the commercial food industry. However, by the 1930s, the time when soybean lecithin was discovered, egg yolk no longer held its former place of being the major source of lecithin for commercial use. Today, it is not even a major source of lecithin in nutritional supplements. The reason may be that lecithins that come from plants are GRAS or generally regarded as safe.
Who needs to take lecithin?
When you know all there is to know about what is lecithin, then you probably know already that the substance is synthesized by the body from food. This means that it is not an essential nutrient, since the body can always get its supply of lecithin from its diet. This is also one of the reasons why hardly anyone ever suffers a deficiency in lecithin. Still, having a steady supply of lecithin for our body’s use is good, if only to take advantage of the benefits it has to offer.
Lecithin is naturally found in the foods that we eat, especially rich foods, such as egg yolk, soybeans, grains, wheat germ, fish, legumes, yeast, peanuts, etc. The compound can also be found as supplement sold to the public. Lecithin capsules, powder, or granules are sold in many food and drug stores, often marketed as weight loss promoting supplements for dieters and weight loss enthusiasts. In addition to that, lecithin is also taken in a pill form or mixed into health shakes.
What is lecithin’s claim to health?
The following are some of the many health claims that lecithin is said to have:
* Cardiovascular health
* Liver and cell function
* Fat transport and fat metabolism
* Reproduction and child development
* Treatment for gallstones
* Improvement in memory, learning and reaction time
* Healthy hair and skin
* Cell communication
* Physical performance and muscle endurance
* Relief of arthritis
Lecithin
Is Lecithin Good For Fatty Liver?
Lecithin
... lecithin is obtained in the process of degumming crude soy oil, it contains minimal amounts of hydratable compounds (1.8%), comprised primarily of phosphatides. After going through the synthesizing process, the resulting structure of lecithin is 30-35% crude soy oil and 65-70% phosphatides. Oil can then ...
... things. On the one hand, it refers to a whole class of natural fat and water soluble compounds, more commonly known as phospholipids, sold commercially as powerful emulsifiers. On the other hand, scientists often use the term as a synonym for phosphatidylcholine (PC), a phospholipid component found in ...
... Together with bile and bile salts, it comprises the three major constituents of bile. Bile is mostly made up of fats, which lecithin keeps in liquid form in order to prevent gall stones from forming. On the other hand, cholesterol holds a delicate balance with the bile salts. If the balance is tipped ...
... signal or stimulus to another, such as when your stomach tells you brain that you are already full, or when the epidermis of your hand signals your brain that the pan is hot when you try to touch it. The biochemical process of cell signaling is essential because without it, you would have no idea how ...
Is Lecithin Good For Fatty Liver?
... cholesterol numbers. It seems that a diet consisting mainly of hydrogenated and processed fats, fried foods and super starches all comes back to haunt today s children and adolescents with all sorts of health problems, even as childhood obesity continues to be a major concern. But despite the seriousness ...