Your Nutrients

When medical researchers use the term “lecithin,” they are referring to a purified substance called phosphatidyl choline (PC) that belongs to a special category of fat-soluble substances called phospholipids.

Choline, the major constituent of PC, is found in soybeans, liver, oatmeal, cabbage, and cauliflower. Soybeans, egg yolks, meat, and some vegetables contain PC. Lecithin (containing 10–20% PC) is added to many processed foods in small amounts for the purpose of maintaining texture consistency.

Although choline deficiencies have been artificially induced in people, little is known about human deficiency in the real world.

High homocysteine Liver cirrhosis Neural tube defects (prevention) Tardive dyskinesia Alzheimer’s disease Bipolar disorder Gallbladder attacks Hepatitis High cholesterol

With several grams of choline per day, some people will experience abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, or nausea. Supplementing choline in large amounts (over 1,000 mg per day) can lead to a fishy body odor. PC does not have this effect. Depression has been reported as a side effect in people taking large amounts of choline, such as 9 grams per day. The body uses both PC and pantothenic acid to form acetylcholine. At the time of writing, there were no well-known drug interactions with Lecithin/Phosphatidylcholine/Choline.

Small amounts of choline are present in many B-complex and multivitamin supplements.