How Does Lecithin Work In The Body?

Lecithin, or phosphatidylcholine, accounts for almost 50 percent of specialized fat molecules, called phospholipids present in animals and plants, and forms a major component of mucus layers and cellular membranes. The choline in lecithin is an essential nutrient responsible for the vital biological functions lecithin provides. The production of acetylcholine, facilitated by lecithin, assists the nervous system, Oregon State University's Linus Pauling Institute notes.

Function

The liver synthesizes lecithin from food and disperses it throughout the body's circulatory system to protect cells from destruction by oxidation, and to help strengthen cellular structures. As a phospholipid, lecithin is a complex mixture of glycolipids, sterols, triglycerides, carbohydrates and fatty acids.The main component of lecithin, choline, aids in digestion of fats, keeps cell membranes semi-permeable, facilitates cell communication and regulates the movement of fats, ions, wastes and nutrients in cells, the LecithinGuide.info website reports. Lecithin also aids the nervous system in the production of acetylcholine, which is a neurotransmitter important for memory, learning and sleep.

Nutrients

Lecithin is derived from foods, such as egg yolk, fish, liver, yeast, wheat germ and peanuts, but its main sources are vegetables such as sunflowers, grape seeds and soybeans, the most common form used in supplements for soy lecithin oil and granules. One tablespoon of soybean lecithin oil contains 47.6 mg of choline, in addition to 25 micrograms of vitamin K and 1.1 mg of vitamin E. This amount of lecithin has 104 calories and 13.6 g of total fats, which breaks down into 2 g of saturated fatty acids, 1.5 g of monounsaturated fats and more than 6 g of polyunsaturated fats, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database.

Cholesterol

Because choline in lecithin helps emulsify and remove fats from the liver, it may reduce the formation of deposits on artery walls or in the gall bladder and thus help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. A 10-week study in 2003 found that fat-free soy lecithin lowered cholesterol absorption by as much as 38 percent and reduced LDL, the bad form of cholesterol, by 14 percent among the 45 participants. The conclusion, published in the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association," was that powdered lecithin lowers LDL cholesterol and cholesterol absorption when consumed with fat-free foods.

Memory

The choline in lecithin plays a role in brain and nerve function by advancing acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter involved in memory and muscle control, which protects the body from nervous system disorders. A study at the Institute of Public Health in Cambridge, England, found that patients with dementia and cognitive impairment had a diminished ability to convert choline into acetylcholine within the brain. Patients suffering from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and people with subjective memory problems were assessed and lecithin was shown to have a dramatic positive result in subjects with subjective memory problems, researchers reported in the online Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews in 2003. They did not, however, conclude that lecithin was a viable treatment for patients with dementia.

Considerations

Although there is no recommended dietary allowance for lecithin, 2 tbsp. of lecithin granules sprinkled on yogurt, soups, cereals or other foods may have health benefits, according to the Vitamin Stuff website. You should get your doctor's approval before using lecithin or any other kind of supplement. High intakes of lecithin or choline could produce acute gastrointestinal reactions, salivation, sweating and anorexia. Prolonged and repeated intake of lecithin may be associated with the development of depression or an over-response of dopamine receptors.