choline
Lecithin (phosphatidylcholine) is the main component of unrefined soybean oil. However, the raw material lecithin is a complex mixture of lipids, namely phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositol as the main components. Lecithin plays an important role in normal metabolism, for example, forms part of membrane phospholipids; some metabolites are messengers in cells; choline from lecithin plays a role in brain cells, resynthesizing the cells that wrap the axons of neurons The new phosphatidylcholine molecule required; Choline is apparently protective, allowing cells to die instead of becoming malignant (cancer) when they mutate.
Pharmacodynamics
Lecithin (phosphatidylcholine) is a precursor of choline. As such, it is involved in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and the levels of lecithin correlate with those of choline and acetylcholine. Thus, one putative mechanism of action of lecithin is to increase the synthesis, release and availability of acetylcholine. However, lecithin is also involved in complex intracellular processes, including the regulation of cell membrane permeability. As mentioned above, patients with bipolar disorder exhibit altered membrane phospholipid metabolism, and low levels of choline in orbitofrontal gray matter have been found in patients with manic symptoms. Thus, lecithin supplementation apparently stabilizes cell membranes and alters action potentials.
Material what is lecithin
PEL (PL-100 M), LPC (LPC-1) and structured PC with long and medium chain fatty acids (PC-LM) were kindly provided by QP Corporation (Tokyo, Japan). PEL includes PC (80.0%), PE (17.9%), LPC (0.2%), SM (0.1%) and others (1.8%). The fatty acid chain compositions of the three phospholipids except PEL are shown in Table 22.3.
Lecithin is commonly used for emulsification, as a dietary supplement, and as an anti-sticking agent. It is a source of choline, which degrades to trimethylamine when heated. Subsequent demethylation produces dimethylamine, which reacts with nitrite to form carcinogenic dimethylnitrosamine. The production of dimethylnitrosamine has been demonstrated in a model system where sodium nitrite was heated together with lecithin at pH 5.6. Foods containing lecithin and nitrites may be sources of nitrosamines. The health threat posed by this interaction has not been properly investigated and identified. It is important to explore and understand the relevance of this interaction in real foods.