The compound is a powerful emulsifier used for a variety of purposes in many industries including commercial food processing, textile, paint, and pharmaceuticals. In addition, the effect of lecithin seems to transcend even the commercial side of things to include health as scientists discovered the important role that the compound plays in the cells of every living organism on this planet.



Lecithin Emulsifier

The effect of lecithin is numerous, including antioxidant, lubricant, anti-dusting agent, mixing and blending agent, and wetting and separating agent. But while all these functional properties make lecithin extremely useful, the main purpose of lecithin is still a great emulsifier.

For edible applications, the effect of lecithin is astounding. It is normally added to such food products as shortenings, margarines, baked goods, chocolate, confectionery coatings, peanut butter, powder mixes, and dietary food. It emulsifies products that are high in fats and oils, as well as promotes stabilization, anti-oxidation, crystallization, and spattering control.

Animals may also benefit from the effect of lecithin. The compound is often added to animal feed, mainly for the same purpose of stabilizing products and providing antioxidant properties.

Besides being found in egg yolks and soybeans, lecithin is also present in all living cells of the body. Lecithin is actually a complex mixture of phospholipids, the most important of which is phosphatidylcholine, which is the number one source of choline.

With its emulsifying lecithin effects, the substance is said to help keep fatty substances in bile produced by the liver. Bile is a kind of juice that your body secretes to ease digestion and help your body absorb valuable nutrients, as such, lecithin plays a role in the normal digestive processes of your body.

Lecithin is one of the major components that make up the cell membrane or outer covering of our cells.

Lecithin Effects and Choline

Lecithin is used synonymously with choline, kelecin, lecithol, soy lecithin, vegilecithin, vitrellin, and phosphatidylcholine. Strictly speaking though, choline is actually just a component of lecithin ? a major one, that is.

Out of the many chemicals found in lecithin, the most important one is choline. Lecithin have many benefits in the following conditions: dementia, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, substance abuse, brain infection, injury to the brain, and spinal cord injury.

Lecithin Health

Lecithin is one of the major components of the cell membrane, that thin semi-permeable layer that envelope the surfaces of cells. It is mainly comprised of phospholipids, among which are phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylinositol (PI), and phosphatidylethanol (PE).

Phosphatidylcholine is used synonymously with lecithin as it is considered to be the most significant not only because it can be synthesized to form one essential nutrient called choline but also because of the role it plays in stabilizing fat in the bile.

As one of the major precursors of the effect of lecithin, phosphatidylcholine contributes to the structural integrity of the cell membrane as well as its repair. Its function includes: information flow that occurs within cells from DNA to RNA to proteins; the formation of cellular energy and intracellular communication or signal transduction.

Phosphatidyinositol may stimulate reverse cholesterol transport by enhancing the flux of cholesterol into HDL and by promoting the transport of HDL-cholesterol to the liver and bile. This is partly the compound responsible for the effect of lecithin in reducing high cholesterol levels in the blood stream as well helping in the normal functioning of the liver.