Why you should be taking Lecithin

Lecithin is worthy of consideration as what we call a “standard issue” supplement. To us, that means its significance to bodybuilders can’t be overstated. Lecithin can help your brain, liver and immune system, and it can also help in the digestion of fats. Every cell in your body needs lecithin. Its efficiency is matched only by its versatility. Because its actions are so crucial to cell integrity, lecithin is a first-class addition to any bodybuilder’s supplement regimen.

Federal regulators in the United States indirectly acknowledged the importance of lecithin by identifying choline, contained in lecithin, as an “essential” nutrient. An essential nutrient is required by the body but must be obtained from the diet because the body doesn’t make it in adequate amounts. The federal designation for choline — and by inference lecithin, as a significant source of choline — seems to confirm lecithin’s worth. (It also underscores the fact that bodybuilders — who have used and promoted lecithin as a supplement staple for decades — are and always have been at the cutting edge in the science of nutrition and in manipulation of body composition.)

WHAT IS Lecithin? Lecithin also known as phosphatidyicholine (PC), is a special type of lipid (a phospholipid) found naturally in the body. In fact, cell membranes contain a substantial portion of lecithin, which indicates how important it is, as it helps regulate what flows in and out of cells.

WHY SUPPLEMENT WITH IT?

Supplemental lecithin can make a difference — albeit subtly and over the long term — in your health, appearance and gym performance. Besides, you’re not likely to get enough lecithin and choline in a typical bodybuilding diet, which is low in saturated fat and processed foods.

Many processed foods contain lecithin because of its emulsifying properties — preventing separation of ingredients. We wouldn’t recommend processed foods as a wellspring of lecithin, regardless of how much of it (or any other potentially beneficial substance) they contain. As for getting enough lecithin from whole foods, unfortunately, the richest sources tend to be high in saturated fat and cholesterol.

The best whole-food sources of lecithin and choline are egg yolks, soybeans and organ meats such as beef liver. Grains, fruits and veggies are essentially insignificant sources. Milk and powdered milk proteins are not much better.

Americans, including bodybuilders, have cut their total fat intake over the past 20 years, primarily by decreasing consumption of eggs, organ meats and red meat. These declines — despite any beneficial effects they may have in reducing the risks of heart disease and other ailments– have nevertheless also reduced lecithin intake to levels that are often marginal even in the average person, let alone in bodybuilders.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF LECITHIN? Lecithin, choline and their major metabolites are involved in enough of the body’s processes to fill quite a few huge books. Lecithin enhances cell membrane dynamics. It’s a major phospholipid in the membranes surrounding cells. As the gatekeepers of the cells in the body, membranes provide ultimate control over what and how much of anything goes in and out. For maximum processing volume and efficiency, it’s imperative that we nutritionally support these critical structures as best we can. This is even more important for bodybuilders, who constantly put their bodies and physiological systems under stress.

Lecithin keeps fats “in line.” It helps reduce cardiovascular-disease risk by contributing cholesterol-lowering polyunsaturated fatty acids, inhibiting intestinal absorption of cholesterol, increasing excretion of cholesterol and bile acids, and positively affecting the overall lipoprotein profile. Every serious bodybuilder knows how important these actions are.

In addition, lecithin helps promote a healthy liver. Besides working to lower cholesterol levels, lecithin amazingly has been shown to prevent the development of alcohol induced cirrhosis of the liver in various animals (human studies are now underway). Choline is required for normal liver function. Healthy humans fed a choline-free diet for only a few weeks develop profiles that include early indicators of liver dysfunction.

If you take a lot of painkillers, you need lecithin. Research has shown it protects against gastrointestinal (GI) injury caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Despite their efficacy and widespread use, NSAIDs can cause GI lesions, perforations and bleeding. In human and animal studies, including lecithin with NSAIDs not only prevented GI irritation in subjects, but also enhanced the antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic efficacy of the therapy. That’s something every sore bodybuilder can use.

Solgar Lecithin £6.95