Lecithin

Lecithin is a lipid primarily made out of glycolipids, triglycerides and phospholipids. Lecithin is present in every one of the cells in the human body. That makes lecithin an essential biochemical in the body. Lecithin is naturally occurring. In case of shortage in the body, lecithin is produced by the liver to make up for the shortfall. Lecithin is the key building block in every cell membrane. These can be looked as benefits of Lecithin.

But then, what is lecithin? Lecithin is a surfactant and is also used as an emulsifier. The basic facts about lecithin are that, it is a non-toxic surfactant and can be used without much reservation. Though many people think that soy lecithin, extracted out of soy beans, has an effect on cholesterol levels, there is no evidence to that. What is soy lecithin? Soy lecithin also has the same lipid constituents. The only difference is that they are extracted out of soy oil and are primarily promoted for reducing cholesterol levels. Soya lecithin is also used in chocolates and coatings. There are no major problems with soy lecithin. It does not carry forward soy allergens that are faced by some of the people.

Writing down lecithin facts would be incomplete, if side effects for lecithin are ignored. There are a few side effects that need to be mentioned, though there are none that should be put in capital letters. As long as lecithin is used within 10 to 30 grams a day, however, when it crosses this limit, lecithin side effects become prominent. Typical lecithin + reactions are: gastrointestinal problems, diarrhea, weight gain, rash and headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and a fishy body odor. All these are relatively minor, though some could experience it in acute form and might require immediate medical attention.

Lecithin gets used in a number of other places too. For instance, you would find Lecithin fortune cookie recipes trying to tell you how to use lecithin in your regular cooking. This would be able to supplement your lecithin requirements in your body. Many such recipes are available online that would help you use lecithin in more palatable forms. For such purposes, lecithin granules are sold by stores online and offline too. Lecithin is also used for beauty treatments, particularly, lecithin breast enhancement is commonly known. They are used to make synthetic gels that would resemble muscles in their tenacity. Though a number of benefits of lecithin are noticed, doctors normally do not advice supplementary lecithin unless under treatment.