lecithin and choline----fyi

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lecithin and choline

What Is It?

Health Benefits

Recommended Intake

If You Get Too Little

If You Get Too Much

General Dosage Information

Guidelines for Use

General Interaction

Cautions

What Is It?

Lecithin is a fatty substance manufactured in the body and widely

found in many animal- and plant-based foods, including eggs, liver,

peanuts, soybeans, and wheat germ. Lecithin is often used as an

additive in such processed foods as ice cream, margarine, and salad

dressings, because it helps blend (or emulsify) fats with water.

Lecithin is also available in supplement form.

Lecithin is considered an excellent source of choline, one of the B

vitamins. Once in the body, a key component of lecithin--

phosphatidylcholine--breaks down into choline. Now available in

dietary supplement form, phosphatidylcholine (PC) might be thought

of as a purified extract of lecithin. It is commonly recommended for

treating liver, nerve, and a variety of other conditions, including

multiple sclerosis and memory loss.

Although dietary lecithin is the primary source of choline, this

nutrient is also available through food; it appears in high

concentrations in liver, egg yolks, peanuts, cauliflower, soybeans,

grape juice, and cabbage. Choline is also present in concentrated

form in various B-complex vitamins.

Most North Americans get enough lecithin and choline in their daily

diets, and deficiencies are rare. That's fortunate because every

cell in the human body needs these nutrients to function properly.

Health Benefits

Lecithin and choline help form cell membranes and transport fats and

nutrients into and out of cells. They are also involved in human

reproduction and fetal and infant development. In fact, choline must

be included in all FDA-approved infant formulas.

These nutrients also play a vital role in keeping the nervous system

healthy.

Specifically, phosphatidylcholine, and in some cases lecithin or

choline alone, may help to:

Treat memory loss or impairment. Many nutritionally oriented doctors

consider phosphatidylcholine a valuable nerve-building nutrient that

might be able to help slow or reverse memory loss. As a phospholipid-

-a fat-soluble substance--this nutrient serves as a major structural

component of brain cells.

Perhaps even more important, phosphatidylcholine plays a key role in

supplying sufficient choline to the brain, where it's used to

manufacture the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Levels of

acetylcholine are known to dwindle with age and this decline is

associated with age-related memory impairment.

In one study involving rats, mothers given extra choline produced

offspring with memory and learning skills superior to the offspring

of those rats on a regular diet. And the offspring of mothers whose

diet was deficient in choline performed poorly on memory tests.

There have been no human trials to test phosphatidylcholine's

effectiveness for memory or nerve problems in humans, however.

Protect the liver from alcohol abuse and hepatitis.

Phosphatidylcholine is believed to speed the flow of fats and

cholesterol through the liver, prevent the buildup of fats within

the liver, and assist the liver in eliminating dangerous toxins from

the body.

A 10-year study of baboons found that lecithin prevents two serious

side effects of alcohol abuse: severe liver scarring and cirrhosis.

Other research suggests that it may also be suitable for liver

problems caused by hepatitis. There are no human studies so far,

however.

Choline is frequently found in combination with such liver-

strengthening ingredients as the B vitamin inositol, the amino acid

methionine, and the herbs dandelion and milk thistle in preparations

called lipotropic combinations.

Prevent gallstones. Low levels of lecithin, an important constituent

of the fat-digesting substance known as bile, may promote

gallstones. That's why taking lecithin supplements (or its purified

extract, phosphatidylcholine) may help to avert often painful

gallstones.

Be sure to check out our Dosage Recommendations Chart for lecithin

and choline, which lists therapeutic dosages for specific ailments

at a glance.

Recommended Intake

There are no RDAs for these nutrients, but scientists have

established an Adequate Intake for choline: 550 mg a day for men and

425 mg for women.

If You Get Too Little

Lecithin and choline deficiencies are rare.

If You Get Too Much

High doses of lecithin and choline can produce such side effects as

sweating, nausea, vomiting, bloating, and diarrhea. Extremely large

doses of choline (10 grams a day) can cause a fishy body odor or a

heart-rhythm abnormality.

General Dosage Information

Most Americans get enough of these nutrients in their daily diet--

about 6 grams of lecithin and up to 1 gram of choline.

Guidelines for Use

Although both lecithin and choline are available as individual

supplements, the most effective way to elevate choline levels in the

body is to take phosphatidylcholine. (Another reason not to take

individual choline supplements is that large amounts have been known

to produce a fishlike smell in the user.)

To enhance absorption, take phosphatidylcholine with meals.

Consider sprinkling granular lecithin over foods or adding it to

drinks. It has a nutty flavor.

General Interaction

There are no known drug or nutrient interactions associated with

lecithin, choline, or phosphatidylcholine taken in commonly

recommended dosages.

Cautions

Because individual phosphatidylcholine, lecithin, or choline

supplements can increase levels of acetylcholine, they should not be

used by individuals who are suffering from bipolar disorder. High

levels of acetylcholine can worsen the " depressive " phase of this

condition.

Consult your doctor before taking phosphatidylcholine if you suffer

from depression; it may worsen your condition.

Ailments Dosage

Alcoholism 420 mg phosphatidylcholine 3 times a day

Gallstones 1 capsule (1,200 mg or 19 grains) lecithin twice a day

Heartburn 500 mg choline 3 times a day

Hepatitis 420 mg phosphatidylcholine twice a day

Memory Loss/Impairment 420 mg phosphatidylcholine twice a day with

meals

Multiple Sclerosis 420 mg phosphatidylcholine twice a day

Stroke 420 mg phosphatidylcholine twice a day