|  | Diet Nutrition | Nutritional Supplements

Benefits of Phosphatidylcholine

The majority of choline in the body is in the form of phosphatidylcholine. Phosphatidylcholine is a phospholipid (fat with phosphates attached) that forms cell membranes and very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL). Fat and cholesterol consumed in the diet are packaged in the liver into VLDLs. Without adequate phosphatidylcholine, the VLDLs will accumulate in the liver and not be synthesized, resulting in liver damage. Adequate intake of phosphatidylcholine provides the essential nutrient choline and may have a number of other health benefits.

  1. Function

    • Phosphatidylcholine is a phospholipid that is essential in the formation and structural integrity of cell membranes. It may also be metabolized in the cell to form the essential nutrient choline. Phosphatidylcholine is also used for the production of VLDL, which transport fat from the liver to other tissues.

    Sources

    • Phosphatidylcholine can be isolated from egg yolk or soy beans. Soy-based phosphatidylcholine is also referred to as soy lecithin. Lecithins typically contain a number of other substances, but are a rich (20 percent to 90 percent) source of phosphatidylcholine.

    Deficiency

    • When the supply of choline and phosphatidylcholine is low, VLDLs cannot be synthesized and fat accumulates in the liver, which can result in liver damage. Choline- and phosphatidylcholine-deficient individuals also have reduced blood levels of "good" LDL cholesterol.

    Benefits

    • Dietary intake of lecithin inhibits the absorption of dietary cholesterol. The combination of this effect, in addition to the mobilization of fats in the liver, has indicated that phosphatidylcholine can promote lipolysis, or breakdown of fats. Introduced medically to treat fatty liver, cosmetic mesotherapy injections of phosphatidylcholine has also been developed for the treatment of localized fat.

    Considerations

    • The use of phosphatidylcholine in mesotherapy is a subject of some debate. The major points of this debate focus on mesotherapy itself. Several clinical studies do indicate that phosphatidylcholine injections are effective alone or in combination with drugs (e.g., deoxycholate) to reduce localized fat deposits.

Nutritional Supplements - Related Articles