LECITHIN
AND HEALTH*from www.nutrition4health.org/NOHAnews/NNSp01_Lecithin.htm
Lecithin has been shown to aid in
maintaining and achieving:
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At his NOHA lecture, April 12, 2000,
Frank T. Orthoefer, PhD, told us many ways in which lecithin can help in our
pursuit of optimal health.
"Lecithin is active in
preventing vascular disease."
Introduction
Lecithin is one name for a whole
group of natural molecules that are found in the membranes of the cells of all
living organisms, plants as well as animals. The word "lecithin"
comes from the Greek word for egg yolk, where it was first discovered. Egg yolk
is an excellent source of the nutrient. It is also especially high in organ
meats, moderately high in red meat, and can be found in whole nuts and seeds.
If these foods are avoided, we can be low in this vital nutrient.
The form of the lecithin molecules
protects the fatty acids. Dr. Orthoefer points out that lecithin granules can
be stored without refrigeration for lengthy periods, whereas pure oils
containing the unsaturated fatty acids can turn rancid very rapidly.
Lecithin has a number of other
names, including phospholipid, because it combines phosphorus with fats
(lipids). It is an excellent source of essential fatty acids, which are a part
of each molecule and which are protected from oxidation by the actual form,
which is both fat loving for the fatty acids (lipophilic) and water loving
(hydrophilic) on account of the phosphorus (phosphate). As we know, the
essential fatty acids (omega 6s and omega 3s) are polyunsaturated and are
extremely vulnerable to oxidation, which degrades them and turns them rancid,
so that instead of being essential nutrients they become harmful to our
metabolism. The form of the lecithin molecules protects the fatty acids. Dr.
Orthoefer points out that lecithin granules can be stored without refrigeration
for lengthy periods, whereas pure oils containing the unsaturated fatty acids
can turn rancid very rapidly. On account of this characteristic, lecithin can
be said to work synergistically with vitamin E, which is, as we know, a superb
anti-oxidant for oily nutrients.
Lecithin has a number of other
names, including phospholipid, because it combines phosphorus with fats
(lipids). It is an excellent source of essential fatty acids . . .
The phospholipids are a whole class
of compounds. Some of the molecules will contain the amino acid choline, or
sometimes the sugar alcohol, inositol, or the amino acid serine, as important
examples.
Cardiovascular Health
"Lecithin is active in
preventing vascular disease. Physiologically, lecithin:
1. Prevents vascular diseases
associated with fatty deposits.
2. Prevents degenerative arterial
diseases.
3. Helps improve the elasticity of
blood vessels.
4. Prevents cholesterol from
depositing in arterial walls."
Lecithin needs to be in balance with
cholesterol and is active in cholesterol transport. Lecithin is also essential
for maintaining liver health and is essential for transporting triglycerides
out of the liver—preventing fatty liver. "Animals fed high alcohol diets
develop liver cirrhosis without lecithin, but with lecithin supplementation to
the animal diet, cirrhosis does not occur."
Lecithin is also essential for
maintaining liver health . . .
Memory and Mental Acuity
Lecithin is one of the special
chemicals that easily crosses the blood-brain barrier. "It is believed
that lecithin permeability is necessary for the metabolic processes that occur
in all cells but also for the constant regeneration of the phospholipid-rich
membranes of the brain." The choline-containing phospholipid is an
abundant form of lecithin and vitally important for the biosynthesis of the
important neurotransmitter acetylcholine, malfunctions of which are involved
in:
- Huntington’s chorea
- Friedreich’s ataxia
- Tardive dyskinesia: Dystone’s syndrome
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Gilles de la Tourette’s syndrome
Interestingly, it has been found in
the treatment of these diseases that
- Dietary lecithin is more effective than choline alone.
- De-oiled lecithin is more effective than crude
lecithin.
- Improvement in the general health was observed: greater
attentiveness, quicker reactions and better orientation were all observed
with lecithin.
Lecithin needs to be in balance with
cholesterol and is active in cholesterol transport.
The amino acid serine is usually an
exceedingly minor constituent of commercial lecithin. Phosphatidylserine is its
chemical name. It is "ubiquitous (present everywhere) in cell membranes
and essential to the function of all cells in the body. It is particularly
concentrated in the brain and tissues involved in an assortment of nerve
functions including nerve transmitter release and synaptic activity." On
account of "mad cow disease," we no longer want extracts from cow’s
brains. Now, a concentrated and expensive extract can be produced from soy
lecithin. "Phosphotidylserine is perhaps the most promising brain nutrient
discovery in recent years. It is a useful dietary tool for metabolic support of
memory, learning, and behavior."
Exercise Endurance
During endurance exercise, glucose
for energy plus mineral electrolytes are all depleted and thus needed. However,
in addition, acetylcholine is needed to carry signals to muscle fibers and
"intense exercise of long duration can and does lower plasma choline
levels." Thus, lecithin, containing choline, can help to enhance
long-distance endurance.
"Lecithin also plays a role in
male fertility. Test tube studies have shown that lecithin has the ability to
restore normal structure and movement to abnormal sperm cells and nearly double
the acrosomal response."
Reproduction and Fertility
Lecithin, as a phospholipid, which
often contains choline, can be involved in the availability of platelet
activating factor (PAF), itself a choline phospholipid, in other words, a
constituent of the class of compounds that we call "lecithin." PAF is
involved in reproduction in "three ways: 1) in implanting of the egg in
the uterine wall, 2) in fetal maturation and 3) in inducing of labor."
"Lecithin also plays a role in
male fertility. Test tube studies have shown that lecithin has the ability to
restore normal structure and movement to abnormal sperm cells and nearly double
the acrosomal response." The acrosome is "the caplike, membrane-bound
structure covering the anterior portion of the head of a spermatozoon; it
contains enzymes involved in penetration of the ovum."
. . . the constituents of lecithin
are essential for the normal development, especially of the brain and mental
capacities, of the human fetus.
From http://members.aol.com/greenmagik/lecithin.htm
As we can imagine, the constituents
of lecithin are essential for the normal development, especially of the brain
and mental capacities, of the human fetus.
FILE EDITORS NOTES: Lowering serum
cholesterol levels has been recommended as an important factor in coronary
health. Lecithin, specifically granular lecithin with 98%+ phosphatidyl
choline content (most health store brands are 95% or less), can be an valuable
component in that process. This page provides some excellent
research and studies to help people who are interested in achieving better
coronary health.
LECITHIN...
IT' S CRITICAL TO CORONARY HEALTH &
BRAIN AND NERVE FUNCTIONING
Most research studies using lecithin
to lower cholesterol levels have been done using 3-5 rounded tablespoons of
lecithin granules daily. After a period of three to four months, significant
reduction in serum cholesterol is usually observed.
Approximately 30% of your brain is
composed of lecithin. Of the
insulating and protective sheaths that surround your brain, spine, and
thousands of miles of nerves, lecithin accounts for two- thirds of their
composition; and of all the muscles in your body, your heart - the hardest
muscle to fatigue - has the highest lecithin content.
Lecithin is a nutrient compound
which was first isolated from egg yoke in 1850 by Maurice Bobley. Since that
time, it has been shown to be present in many foods. Soybeans and other
legumes, grains, wheat germ, brewers yeast, and fish, as well as egg yokes are
all good sources of lecithin.
Biochemically speaking, lecithin
belongs to a group of nutrients known as lipids (fats, oils, waxes) and is a
phospholipid called phosphatidyl choline. It is important to note that since
what is commercially called lecithin is actually only one-third true lecithin.
The other two-thirds is made up of other phospholipids.
It was twenty five years ago, in
1958, that Dr. Lester M. Morrison, director of a research unit at Los Angeles
County General Hospital, first published (Geriatrics, January, 1958) his
findings that lecithin could be used to lower cholesterol levels. In fact, Dr.
Morrison reported that "lecithin was found to be the most effective
cholesterol lowering agent tested.." He reported that 80% of his
patients suffering from high serum cholesterol levels showed an average
decrease of 41% in serum cholesterol after taking lecithin for several weeks.
Instead of "blocking"
absorption of cholesterol in the digestive tract as other cholesterol reducing
agents did, lecithin enhanced the metabolism of cholesterol in the digestive
system and aided in its transport through the circulatory system. The
lecithin acted as an emulsifier and broke down the fats and cholesterol in the
diet into tiny particles and held them in suspension, preventing them from
sticking to blood platelets or arterial walls. It is when fats are not
properly emulsified, that they become "sticky" and this is the major
cause of blood clots, atherosclerosis, and coronary thrombosis. Interestingly
enough, researchers have since demonstrated that atherosclerosis (blockage of
the arteries) can be induced in the laboratory by either increasing the
cholesterol introduced into the body or by decreasing lecithin intake.
Researchers Adams and Morgan have
also shown that lecithin from a vegetable source (soybeans) is more effective
than lecithin from an animal source (eggs) in accelerating the re-absorption of
cholesterol back into the blood stream that has adhered to the walls of blood
vessels and caused blockage.
This difference is attributed to the
fact that lecithin from animal sources contains high amounts of saturated fatty
acids, while lecithin from vegetable sources are about 80% unsaturated fatty
acids.
Another researcher, Dr. William
Delamater, reported that in older people, if sufficient lecithin was present in
the blood, the blood fat level returned to normal in about three hours after a
high fat meal. But, if there wasn't sufficient lecithin in the blood, fat and
cholesterol levels remained high for as long as twenty hours.
Most research studies using lecithin
to lower cholesterol levels have been done using 3-5 rounded tablespoons of
lecithin granules daily. After a period of three to four months, significant
reduction in serum cholesterol is usually observed.
Perhaps the most interesting new
findings on lecithin concern its connection with the functioning of the brain
and nervous system.
Besides being an important factor in
controlling cholesterol levels and aiding coronary health, lecithin is involved
in a myriad of body functions. Every cell of your body contains lecithin.
Lecithin is responsible for maintaining the surface tension of the cell membrane.
It therefore controls what goes in and out of each cell, allowing nutrients in,
or wastes out. Without enough lecithin, the cell wall hardens, thus
not allowing enough nutrients in or wastes out. This means premature
aging of cells. The surface tension of the cell maintained by lecithin
is also responsible for transmitting nerve impulses and messages through or
from the cell.
Perhaps the most interesting new
findings on lecithin concern its connection with the functioning of the brain
and nervous system. A key factor in proper brain and nerve transmissions is the
presence of cellular substance called acetylcholine. Acetylcholine deficiencies
are linked with the neurological disorders tardive dyskinesia (involuntary
facial grimaces and body jerking), Huntington's chorea (the
disease that killed Woody Guthrie). Friedrich's ataxia (speech
impairment, irregular movements, and paralysis), olivaponto-cerebellasatrophy
(wasting away of the brain), Alzhemer's disease (a mind
destroying disease that starts with memoiy difficulties), and myasthenia
gravis (progressive paralysis).
Until as recently as six years ago,
medical researchers were using choline chloride to help their patients who
suffered from these insidious brain disorders to produce more acetylcholine in
their bodies. However, in 1977, Dr. Richard Wurtinan and his colleagues at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that lecithin (which contains
phosphatidyl choline) increased serum choline levels more than three times as
much as the previously used choline chloride and kept those levels raised more
than three times as long. This meant that researchers had found a way to
significantly raise acetylcholine levels in their patients since acetylcholine
production in the brain was dependent on serum choline levels.
Dr. Wartman's research further
astounded the medical community by showing that choline was taken up directly
by the brain and used almost at once to help the brain make acetylcholine. This
meant that the amount of lecithin (phosphatidyl choline) furnished by each meal
could have a direct and almost immediate effect on the efficiency of the brain.
Researchers found this so surprising because it had long been believed
that the so called blood/brain barrier shielded the brain from such direct
influences by nutrients and substances that are excessive or lacking in the
day-to-day diet. Only a few substances such as alcohol or powerful drugs were
thought to be able to cross this barrier.
Dr. Allen Cott, A New York City
Psychiatrist states, "I learned from the work being done at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other places that giving 14 grams of
Lecithin a day, two heaping tablespoons, just about the best thing you
can do for memory."
Scientists soon found to their
delight that taking lecithin produced no negative side effects as did other remedies prescribed for brain dysfunctions. One
researcher, Dr. Barbeau, at the University of Montreal reported that patients
suffering from olivoponocelebellar atrophy (wasting away of the brain) showed a
30% improvement" after only two months of taking 24 grams of lecithin
daily.
Additional
Findings on Lecithin's
Interaction in the Body
* Without sufficient lecithin, your
body cannot utilize the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. By adding an
adequate amount of lecithin to your diet, you could improve your digestion and
utilization of these vitamins by 100% or more if your diet is now deficient in
lecithin.
· When a person exercises regularly
to improve their muscle tone, the amount of lecithin contained in the muscles
increases. This increase in muscle lecithin is in part responsible for the
greater endurance of the muscle.
· Dr. H. Dietrich of Texas has found
that often a diabetic's insulin requirements are reduced when lecithin is added
to the diet.
· The importance of lecithin to the
functioning of the body can be realized in the fact that during starvation,
when body fat and protein are being broken down for energy, the lecithin in the
body is not used for energy except as a very last resort.
· Autopsies show that multiple
sclerosis patients have significantly less lecithin in the brain and myelin
sheath than normal persons. The autopsies also show that the lecithin that is
present in the brain and myelin sheath of these multiple sclerosis victims is
essentially composed of all saturated fatty acids and no unsaturated fatty
acids. Multiple sclerosis is also known to have a much higher incidence in
countries where the diet is high in saturated fats.
· Psoriasis is apparently due, at
least in part, to a faulty utilization of fat and is usually accompanied by a
high cholesterol level. Generally, with 3 to 5 tablespoons of lecithin granules
per day cholesterol goes down and psoriasis clears up.
· At Mount Sinai School of Medicine
in New York, Dr. David A. Druling found that in patients with gallstones,
gallstone attacks were cut in half by taking 13 grams of lecithin a day
(a table spoonful is 7.5 grams). Also the size of gallstones were
greatly reduced in one patient.
· Researcher Lehninge, in his blood
Biochemistry, found that proper functions in general are often attributed to a
good amount of lecithin in the diet.
· Bile, produced in the liver, is
stored in the gallbladder. This bile is comprised mostly of bile acids,
lecithin, and cholesterol, and it is necessary in fat metabolism. If sufficient
lecithin is not present in the bile, the cholesterol forms gallstones.
· Cirrhosis of the liver is no
longer a disease of the heavy drinker only. Being the body's waster disposal
plant, many toxic materials, like food additives, preservatives, insecticides,
growth hormones, etc., all pass through the liver. Lecithin and good general
nutrition readily reverses liver damage.
· Dr. Allen Cott, a New York City
psychiatrist states, "I learned from the work being done at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology and other places that giving 14 grams of lecithin a
day, two heaping tablespoons, is just about the best thing you can do for
memory." Dr. Cott also used lecithin to improve concentration and recall
in learning disabled children, most of whom are either schizophrenic or
autistic. "Clinical observations indicate about a 50% improvement,
"Dr. Cott added.
· W.S. Hartroff, M.D., Ph.D.,
reported in the American Journal of Public Health that the lack of choline was
found to head infants toward high blood pressure. Furthermore, it has been
found that a choline deficiency induced tendency to high blood pres sure can
not be reversed. Interestingly enough, human milk contains lecithin while cow's
milk does not.
Ways
to Use and Take Lecithin
Lecithin dietary supplements come in
three forms: Liquid (thick, syrupy), capsules and granules.
All three contain phosphatidyl choline, but the granules contain the
highest concentration of it. It is best to take your lecithin supplement
with meals since it will act synergistically with other nutrients.
All lecithin mixes well with peanut
butter, tahini, spreads and sauces. Since it is an emulsifier, it will make
whatever you mix it with smoother and creamier. People may find the oil
naturally contained in liquid lecithin and lecithin capsules aggravates
complexion problems. They should use lecithin granules. Granular lecithin
has a slight nutlike taste and can be taken with any drink. It also adds a
little texture to sauces and spreads. When possible, add the lecithin after the
cooking is finished to help preserve the nutrients naturally present in
lecithin.
Whatever form of lecithin you decide
to take, be assured that you are helping both your body and mind to be at their
best.