The key to burning body fat is in the speed of your metabolism. A faster metabolism enables the body to burn fat faster, which is why active children typically don't face weight issues. As we age, however, our metabolism slows down and it becomes more difficult to keep the extra pounds off. The question is: what can we do to put the life back into a sluggish metabolism?



Your liver is the key organ for metabolizing fat. You may find this surprising, but it's just one of the liver's many functions. The liver is also the main organ in the process of detoxifying pollutants and chemicals in the body. It also serves in storing glycogen, synthesizing plasma protein and producing bile, which is an important element in the digestion process. By the way, bile is also necessary for metabolizing the fats that are stored in the liver. Bile converts these fats into energy for the body to use.

The connections between the liver, fat metabolism, and eventual weight loss may seem remote at first. When you bring lecithin into the fold, however, you've found the key ingredient that brings them all together.

Your Liver and Weight Loss

If you constantly struggle with weight gain, it can seem like an ongoing battle that spans a lifetime. You may endure yo-yo dieting, with your weight constantly going up and down. At the same time, you contend with a sluggish metabolism and unbridled cravings and in the end, nothing seems to work.

Success in weight loss requires addressing the root of the problem, rather than constantly trying to tackle the symptoms. A sluggish liver and congestion throughout the body will certainly lead to fatigue and malaise, but this is only part of an ongoing problem.

Weight gain is often attributed to poor liver function. When your liver is in such poor health as to make it unable to perform its basic functions, then there is a very likely chance that the condition will result in weight gain. Excessive weight due to liver malfunction will often show as cellulite, water retention and extra inches around the abdomen.

Bile's Role in Losing Weight

Secreting bile is one of the liver's main functions. Known also as gall, bile is a complex, bitter tasting, greenish-yellow alkaline fluid. This fluid contains water, electrolytes, and a host of organic molecules including bile acids, bilirubin, cholesterol and phospholipids (lecithin). Bile is a critical element in digestion and crucial to the metabolism and absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins. Many of the body's waste products are also excreted into the bile.

Lecithin is an important element of bile, acting as an emulsifier and antioxidant. It helps to disperse cholesterol and break it down into essential fatty acids. Lecithin has a phosphate group that makes it hydrophobic, allowing it to move away from water and the fluids surrounding molecules. It also has a lipophilic (fat-loving) head that moves toward the fats.

The result is that lecithin helps in stabilizing the fatty acid molecules by forming a semi-permeable, lipophilic and hydrophobic ring around them. This emulsifying action helps to stabilize the bile and enables the liver to perform its many functions, including the breakdown of cholesterol and the metabolism of fat.

Losing Weight with Lecithin

Since scientists first discovered the role that lecithin plays in fat and cholesterol metabolism in the liver, many researchers have spent years focusing their studies on the connection between lecithin and weight loss. Is lecithin really a contributor to weight loss and, if so, what evidence is there to prove that there is a connection between weight loss and lecithin?

Many studies remain unreported, however, one investigation proves that there is some bearing on lecithin for weight loss. In this study, choline was found to be a component of phosphatidylcholine, which is one of the many names that scientists use to refer to lecithin. Choline is a nutrient essential to the human body that has the ability to break cholesterol into small particles and allow them to be easily handled by the digestive system. A sufficient intake of lecithin prevents the cholesterol building up within the walls of the veins and arteries.

Lecithin's effect on the liver can increase metabolism and, as a result, decrease extra pounds. It's a beneficial compound commonly found in soy products and is also available as a supplement. Try adding lecithin to your healthy diet and exercise regime.