Lecithin

Lecithin is a generic term to designate any group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues, which are amphiphilic – they attract both water and fatty substances (and so are both hydrophilic and lipophilic), and are used for smoothing food textures, dissolving powders (emulsifying), homogenizing liquid mixtures, and repelling sticking materials.

Chemical composition

Lecithins are a mixture of glycerophospholipids including phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidic acid.

Commercial sources

Commercial lecithin, as used by food manufacturers, is a mixture of phospholipids in oil. The lecithin can be obtained by water degumming the extracted oil of seeds. It is a mixture of various phospholipids, and the composition depends on the origin of the lecithin. A major source of lecithin is soybean oil.

Health and medicine

Because it contains phosphatidylcholine, lecithin is a source of choline, an essential nutrient. Clinical studies have shown benefit in acne, in improving liver function, and in lowering cholesterol, but older clinical studies in dementia and dyskinesias had found no benefit.

See also

• Phospholipid
• Phosphatidylcholine
• Phosphatidylethanolamine
• Phosphatidylinositol
• Phosphatidylserine
• Phosphatidic acid
• Soybean oil
• Choline
• Acne
• Liver function
• Cholesterol
• Dementia
• Dyskinesias

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