Info on PhosChol / Jodi

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Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is a purified

extract from lecithin and is one of

the components of bile (it is required for normal transport of bile

acids).

Emulsifies and breaks down fat deposits in the body, which make it

helpful in the

prevention of gallstones, atherosclerosis, heart disease, and liver

problems.

Research has shown that Phosphatidylcholine is beneficial in

depression,

memory loss and neurological disorders. It is 3 times more potent than

Lecithin

Phosphatidylcholine is one of the most important support nutrients for

the

liver. PC is a phospholipid, a large biological molecule that is a

universal

building block for cell membranes. A cell's membranes are its essence:

they

regulate the vast majority of the activities that make up life. Most

liver

metabolism occurs on cell membranes, which occupy about 33,000 square

meters in the

human. More than 2 decades of clinical trials indicate that PC protects

the

liver against damage from alcoholism, pharmaceuticals, pollutant

substances,

viruses, and other toxic influences, most of which operate by damaging

cell

membranes. The human liver is confronted with tens of thousands of

exogenous

substances. The metabolism of these xenobiotics can result in the

liver's detoxicative

enzymes producing reactive metabolites that attack the liver tissue.

Dietary

supplementation with PC (a minimum 800 mg daily, with meals)

significantly

speeds recovery of the liver. PC has also been shown to be effective

against

alcohol's liver toxicity in well-controlled studies on baboons. PC has

other

qualities that enhance its usefulness as a dietary supplement. PC is

safe, and is a

safer means for dietary choline repletion than choline itself. PC is

fully

compatible with pharmaceuticals, and with other nutrients. PC is also

highly

bioavailable (about 90% of the administered amount is absorbed over 24

hours),

and PC is an excellent emulsifier that enhances the bioavailability of

nutrients

with which it is co-administered. PC's diverse benefits and proven

safety

indicate that it is a premier liver nutrient.

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

phosphatidylcholine. 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.

Lowering serum cholesterol levels has been recommended as an important

factor

in coronary health. Lecithin, specifically granular lecithin with 98%+

phosphatidylcholine content, can be an valuable component in that

process.

In 1958, that Dr. Lester M. on, 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.

on 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

circulatoiy 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 and have also shown that lecithin from a

vegetable

source (soybeans) is more effective than lecithin from an animal source

(eggs)

in acceleratingly 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.

Perhaps the most interesting new findings on lecithin concern its

connection

with the functioning of the brain and nervous system.

The main source of energy for the brain comes from a combination of

oxygen

and glucose (sugar). For brain cells to function normally they must

receive a

constant supply of these nutrients. As areas of the brain become more

active

blood flow into and out of these areas increase.

In addition to oxygen and glucose, the brain uses chemical compounds

known as

phospholipids. These phosopholipids make up the covering of nerve cells

that

assist in the transfer of information from cell to cell. Without

phospholipids

brain cell activity may become abnormal and cause problems in the

nervous

system.

Certain diseases like Alzheimer's disease and brain tumors can affect

blood

flow to the brain and change the way the brain metabolizes

phopholipids. In

addition to diseases, changes in the brain occur with normal healthy

aging.

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.

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. 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 recently, 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. Wurtinan

and his

colleagues at Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that lecithin

(which

contains phosphatidylcholine) 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.

An unexpected discovery by researchers at The National Institutes of

Health

(NIH), may help to explain how Alzheimer's disease causes memory loss.

The

research shows that beta amyloid, a common protein in the brain, can

make cell

membranes leak choline, and thus reduce production of acetylcholine in

cells.

Choline, an essential ingredient in acetylcholine, has been known for

many years

to help store and retrieve memories. Two hallmarks of Alzheimer's

disease are

accumulation in the brain of beta amyloid and reduction of the

concentration

of acetylcholine. In Alzheimer's disease, as well as in older subjects

with

Down syndrome, the brain cells which produce acetylcholine are known to

die.

The research is reported in the May 23rd issue of Brain Research by

investigators at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National

Institute of

Neurological Disorders (NINDS). According to Dr. Stanley Rapoport,

Chief of the

NIA's Laboratory of Neurosciences, " We think that increased leakage of

choline

through the nerve cell membranes, due to prolonged exposure to excess

concentrations of beta amyloid, may make these cells more vulnerable.

This could

contribute to the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and Down's syndrome

dementia. "

Studies on the effect of phosphatidylcholine administration on memory

are

limited. We administered egg phosphatidylcholine to mice with dementia

and to

normal mice and compared the differences in memory and serum choline

concentration, and choline and acetylcholine concentrations and choline

acetyltransferase

activities of three forebrain regions (cortex, hippocampus and the

remaining

forebrain). Mice with dementia were produced by mating sibling mice who

had

impaired memory for > 20 generations. These mice had poor memory and

low brain

acetylcholine concentration. We administered 100 mg of egg

phosphatidylcholine

(phosphatidylcholine group) or water (control group) by gavage to each

mouse

daily for about 45 d. Control mice with dementia had poorer memory in

passive

avoidance performance and lower brain choline (cortex and hippocampus)

and

acetylcholine (hippocampus and forebrain excluding cortex and

hippocampus)

concentrations and lower cortex choline acetyltransferase activity than

the control

normal mice (P

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