LECITHIN

by Dr. Lawrence Wilson

All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

Update 9/22/2019. We just found an organic sunflower lecithin. It is sold by http://www.legendairymilk.com. This is an excellent product and not much more expensive than standard sunflower lecithin. There may be other brands of organic lecithin sold via the internet.

DEFINITION OF LECITHIN

An emulsifier. Lecithin is an emulsifying substance found in the human body and in some natural foods including soy, sunflower oil and egg yolks. It is essential for life.

Anti-oxidant properties. Lecithin is also a very important anti-oxidant nutrient that is more yang than most other anti-oxidants, which is an important benefit.

Adrenal effects. Lecithin protects the adrenal hormone adrenalin (also called epinephrine) from oxidation. Oxidation of adrenalin results in the formation of adrenochrome – a toxic hormone that causes fear, anxiety, and can even cause psychosis.

Lecithin also helps correct adrenal insufficiency or burnout.

Cholesterol effects. Lecithin is also required for cholesterol metabolism and will help lower an elevated cholesterol level, along with chromium and zinc.

Seizures. Lecithin may also help some people who have seizures or epilepsy.

USE IN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

As of March 2019, we began recommending lecithin to anyone who is anxious. Anyone can try taking it and it seems to blend well with a development program.

It helps many people calm down and may help one forgive everyone of everything, which is many people’s biggest challenge. Many people find it a wonderful addition to their development program.

Nutrients in lecithin. Lecithin is a natural source of two B-complex vitamins, choline and inositol, among other nutrients. Choline is a precursor for the calming neurotransmitter and very important substance, acetylcholine.

USING LECITHIN

Capsules versus granules. Lecithin is sold as capsules or granules. Either one will work.

Lecithin also comes as a liquid. This is a little more messy to use, but is less expensive than capsules.

Sunflower oil versus soy. Lecithin from sunflower oil is purer and we think better than soy lecithin. This is the one we recommend.

Dosage.

- For lecithin capsules: For adults, take up to 9 1200 mg capsules daily. Only take what you need. One can vary the dosage as needed for anxiety.

- For lecithin granules, the dosage is 1 to 9 tablespoons daily. Each tablespoon is usually about 7500 mg of granules. This can be put over vegetables or with other foods.

The high dosage is sometimes needed because the rogues damage the brain in a way that depletes the body’s lecithin and this causes extreme anxiety. Taking lecithin corrects the problem. Start with a lower dosage, but some people need the higher amount.

Cautions. Lecithin appears to be quite safe. We have not had reports of adverse reactions. However, it is not effective to reduce anxiety in some people. They may require more Paramin (calcium and magnesium), more zinc, or other changes to their development program.

Dr. Eck and Lecithin. Dr. Paul Eck recommended lecithin years ago if one needed to slow down the elimination of toxic metals. However, we do not find that adding lecithin to one’s development program slows toxic metal elimination.

Dr. Eck’s company, Endomet Laboratories, formerly sold a product called ICMN. We used it for anxiety. It contained inositol, choline, methionine and niacinamide. They no longer sell this product. However, it is related to lecithin, which is a source of inositol and choline.

CAN SOY LECITHIN CAUSE REACTIONS OR FOOD ALLERGIES?

Some health authorities say that soy lecithin can cause allergic reactions. We have not encountered this, so far. Here is an article about it:

Here is an excerpt from a book by Kayla Daniels entitled The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food (2004).

- Lecithin is an emulsifying substance that is found in the cells of all living organisms.

- The French scientist Maurice Gobley discovered lecithin in 1805 and named it "lekithos" after the Greek word for "egg yolk."

- Until it was recovered from the waste products of soybean processing in the 1930s, eggs were the primary source of commercial lecithin.

- Today lecithin is the generic name given to a whole class of fat-and-water soluble compounds called phospholipids.

- The levels of phospholipids in soybean oils range from 1.48 to 3.08 percent, which is considerably higher than the 0.5 percent typically found in vegetable oils, but far less than the 30 percent found in egg yolks.^1-6

Out of the Dumps

- Soybean lecithin comes from sludge left after crude soy oil goes through a "degumming" process. It is a waste product containing solvents and pesticides and has a consistency ranging from a gummy fluid to a more solid substance.

- The hexane extraction process commonly used to make soybean oil yields less lecithin than the older ethanol-benzol process, but produces a more marketable lecithin with better color, reduced odor and less bitter flavor.⁷

- Historian William Shurtleff reports that the expansion of the soybean crushing and soy oil refining industries in Europe after 1908 led to a problem disposing the increasing amounts of fermenting, foul-smelling sludge.

- German companies then decided to vacuum dry the sludge, patent the process and sell it as "soybean lecithin". Scientists hired to find some use for the substance cooked up more than a thousand new uses by 1939.⁸

Uses In The Food Industry

- Today lecithin is ubiquitous in the processed food supply. It is most commonly used as an emulsifier to keep water and fats from separating in foods such as margarine, peanut butter, chocolate candies, ice cream, coffee creamers and infant formulas. Lecithin also helps prevent product spoilage, extending shelf life in the marketplace. In industry kitchens, it is used to improve mixing, speed crystallization, prevent "weeping," and stop spattering, lumping and sticking.

- In cosmetics, lecithin softens the skin and helps other ingredients penetrate the skin barrier.

- A more water-loving version known as "deoiled lecithin" reduces the time required to shut down and clean the extruders used in the manufacture of textured vegetable protein and other soy products.^9,10

Soy Lecithin And Food Allergies

- In theory, lecithin manufacture eliminates all soy proteins, making it hypoallergenic. In reality, minute amounts of soy protein may remain in lecithin as well as in soy oil.

Three components of soy protein have been identified in soy lecithin, including the Kunitz trypsin inhibitor, which has a track record of triggering severe allergic reactions even in the most minuscule quantities. The presence of lecithin in so many food and cosmetic products poses a special danger for people with soy allergies.^11-1

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