HWN Suggests

Lecithin is not a magic granule

Fat and water don’t mix, but lecithin acts as an emulsifier and allows fat- and water-soluble substances to hang together in an emulsion. Think of it as the food equivalent of a “negotiator.” Lecithin has this property because two-thirds of its structure dissolves in fat while one-third is water-soluble.

This is an important physiological function for us, as we are constantly moving fatty substances through our water-based body. The liver is the organ that makes our lecithin and it’s found in cell membranes, the protective border responsible for shuttling water- and fat-based nutrients in and out of the cell. In foods it tends to be found when fat and water need to stay blended. Lecithin…

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 Lecithin Supplements: Weighing Risks vs. Benefits

So, I believe that, at this point in time, it is safe to say that none of the claims about lecithin have any credible evidence to back them up.

 Lecithin – what is it and is it bad for me?

“Lecithin” is a generic term applied to any yellowish, fatty substance that naturally occurs in plant and animal tissues – “a mixture of phospholipids and oil.” It’s chemically extracted from inexpensive sources like canola, eggs, milk, soy, and sunflowers and added to commercially made foods so the ingredients don’t “separate out” as well as give a “creaminess” to the product.

Articles of Interest

Are emulsifiers bad? Not enough evidence to say we should stop eating them

So far, there haven’t been many studies of the potentially harmful effects of ingested emulsifiers in humans. The most commonly consumed emulsifier is lecithin, which is present in all plant and animal cell walls. Lecithin is perhaps best known as a major component of egg yolks and its role in making mayonnaise, though it is often sourced from soybeans for use as an additive.

Does Soy Lecithin Have Benefits? It’s Not the “Cure All” You Think It Is

There is nothing in the literature to suggest that soy lecithin is an exotic cure “all.” In fact, there is nothing much to suggest that it qualifies as a cure “anything.” Including soy as part of a balanced healthy lifestyle is fine but let’s not fool ourselves that it is anything more than a bean.

Harmful or Harmless: Soy Lecithin

This article will probably be more than you ever wanted to know about soy lecithin, but I wanted to do my best to get all the facts out on the table.

Lecithin: The Ultimate Guide – What Your Mother Didn’t Tell You

Lecithin has virtually none of the protein or carbohydrate content found in soy beans and thus doesn’t have the same drawbacks or benefits that are commonly found in soy.

What Is Soy Lecithin? Potential Benefits vs. Risks

If you read your food labels, I’m sure that you’ve run across the ingredient “soy lecithin” because it’s one of the most widely used food additives on the market today. Soy lecithin is widely found in both conventional and health food stores. It’s often used as an ingredient in food products and is sold in supplement form to boost your health. Yet, surprisingly, there is a lot of confusion (and maybe even prejudgment) about soy lecithin because it includes the word “soy.” So, what is soy lecithin, and is it good for me?

‘Why is Lecithin in my Food?’ An Overview of Emulsifiers

Food emulsifiers can be derived from a range of products like soy and sunflower lecithin to propylene glycol alginate. Emulsifiers can bind to two liquids that usually do not mix well together. A traditional example is mixing (or rather, trying to mix) oil and water. These fluids don’t like to mix because of their chemical properties. This is where an emulsifier comes into play. Emulsifiers have water loving (hydrophilic) and oil loving (hydrophobic) regions that allow the two immiscible ingredients like water and oil to join.

Resources

Forget about taking lecithin for your memory

LECITHIN IS a fatty substance found throughout our bodies and in some foods. It is made up primarily of phospholipids, compounds found in all living organisms. These are the major component of cell membranes which allow cells to remain separated from one another. Lecithin is therefore crucial to the normal functioning of all living organisms.