The Essential Superfood - Lecithin

Here are a few reasons why Lecithin is so great - and this isn't even a comprehensive list!

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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 person. 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 tablespoonful is 7.5 grams). Also, the size of Gallstones were greatly reduced in one patient.

Researcher Lehninge, in his book Biochemistry, found that proper function of the sex glands and improved sexual function in general are often attributed to a good amount of lecithin in the diet.

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 pressure can not be reversed. Interestingly enough, human milk contains lecithin while cow’s milk does not.

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Some people may ask “what is lecithin?” Well, lecithin is what is known as a phospholipid, and one of its primary active components is choline. Choline is what is known as a lipotropic, and the nutrients that fall into this category are essential for proper liver function and fat utilization. So in short, a choline deficiency will promote fat accumulation in the liver. Choline deficiencies in humans can produce liver abnormalities in just a few weeks, and prolonged deficiency of choline can produce severe liver damage. Lecithin itself is also a very important component of VLDL (very low density lipoproteins) that helps to transport fats around the body from the liver. It can be found native in a number of different foods such as eggs, dairy products, and meats, but the primary source that is used today comes from soybeans.

There are literally hundreds of studies that validate the use of this product. Research shows that lecithin has health benefits that include maintenance of a healthy liver, nervous system, heart and circulatory health; it increases physical performance, and is useful during pregnancy and child development. And even though it would be classified as a fat, lecithin itself contains no cholesterol!

Lecithin can be found and taken in several forms, it can be offered as a liquid that is often encapsulated and in granules which can be mixed with foods and eaten. It really has virtually no taste. Taking lecithin supplements and or choline products over the long term has been shown to be very beneficial in helping to maintain long term memory and over all health. We have to be conscious of what ours ‘lives’ have in store for us down the road, isn’t it best to prepare now for tomorrow! Take your lecithin everyday!

Known Functions: Lecithin is an essential fatty substance that also protects cell membranes from hardening.

High concentrations of lecithin are found in the brain and prostate gland.

Lecithin is largely composed of choline, plus linoleic acid and inositol.

It acts as an emulsifying agent, enabling fats and other lipids to be dispersed in water. Phosphatidyl choline (a different kind of lecithin) is a powerful fat-emulsifying compound present in all cells.

It solubilizes fats and cholesterol in the bloodstream, it solubilizes dietary fats in the intestinal mucosa, and maintains the structural integrity of cell membranes.

Phospholipids are essential components of lipoproteins and membranes. Lecithin is also a source of choline, a B vitamin with powerful lipotropic activity.

Choline is utilized by virtually every cell for synthesis of various phospholipids, proteins, and the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. Research has shown that administration of choline or lecithin can raise plasma and brain choline and acetylcholine levels. There is evidence that oral choline and lecithin can help alleviate neurological motor disturbances, and restore cognition and memory. Symptoms of tardive dyskinesia and Alzheimer’s disease have been ameliorated in some patients by administration of choline, lecithin or phosphatidylcholine.

Benefits

· Maintains a healthy liver
· Maintains nervous system
· Maintains a healthy heart and circulatory system
· Helps to maintain long term memory

even more info on Lecithin - the fatty liver connection!

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