What exactly, is lecithin?
Phosphatidyl clorine is one of the vital chemicals needed by living cells to carry on their activities. And phosphatidyl clorine is lecithin. The human body can manufacture lecithin from various foods and vast stores of it are created by plants. Chances are, you downed a quota of lecithin this morning, along with your toast, pancakes or eggs. Lecithin is a very complex chemical containing phosphorous and chlorine. Quantities of these two elements are dangerous and even poisonous. Yet living cells need traces of them to produce healthy tissues and also to maintain the everyday processes of metabolism. Lecithin goes through highly complex chemical maneuvers to deliver these trace elements in the right quantities at the right times and places. The chemical name of lecithin, phosphatidyl clorine, reveals the structure of its molecules plus a few hints about its chemical behavior. The name lecithin is coined from a Greek word for egg yolks egg yolks are very rich in the vital food substance
The human body produces lecithin in the liver, and transports it throughout the nervous and circulatory systems. This phospholipid is also known as phosphatidylcholine, or PC. Lecithin is composed mainly of B vitamins, choline, phosphoric acid, linoleic acid, and inositol. As a phospholipid (fat-based element), lecithin plays a key role as a building block for cell membranes. Without lecithin, the cell membranes would harden and no longer stay semi-permeable. Lecithin protects cells from the destructive effects of oxidation, which is a naturally occurring process in the body caused by the presence of oxygen. In the food industry, lecithin is regarded as one of the few emulsifiers that are commonly regarded as safe, and was approved for human consumption by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Since the substance is already an integral part of biological membranes it is completely biodegradable and easily metabolized. Unlike its synthetic alternatives, lecithin is virtually n
