Current location - Health Preservation Learning Network - Slimming men and women - What is lecithin? What role does it play in the human body? In which foods can I get it? Thank you.
What is lecithin? What role does it play in the human body? In which foods can I get it? Thank you.
Lecithin (lecithin)

Lecithin is called "the third nutrient" alongside protein and vitamins. However, few people really know about lecithin. 1844, the Frenchman Gohley discovered lecithin (egg yolk) from egg yolk, and named it Lecithos in Greek and lecithin in English, which has since unveiled its mystery. Lecithin is the basic substance of life, and human life can not be separated from its nourishment and protection from beginning to end. Lecithin exists in every cell, especially in the brain and nervous system, blood circulation system, immune system and important organs such as liver, heart and kidney.

References:>

At present, the main sources of phospholipids we eat are soybean phospholipids and egg yolk phospholipids, and what is the difference between these two phospholipids in essence? We'll talk about it next. In addition, milk, animal brain, bone marrow, heart, lung, liver, kidney, soybean and yeast all contain lecithin. Lecithin has a certain content in egg yolk, soybean, fish head, sesame, mushroom, yam, fungus, cereal, small fish, animal liver, eel, red snake, cobra, safflower oil, corn oil, sunflower seed and other foods, but soybean, egg yolk and animal liver have complete nutrition and content. Lecithin is mostly combined with protein in the body and exists in the form of fatty protein (lipoprotein), so lecithin exists in a rich way in nature. If you can eat enough kinds of food, you don't have to worry about its lack, and you don't need to supplement lecithin nutrition.

Generally speaking, phospholipids refer to soybean phospholipids, mainly soybean phospholipids, which contain neutral oil and other non-phospholipid components, such as pigments, sugars, galactosides and cerebrosides. Phospholipids are the general name of a class of lipids, which contain a variety of phosphorus-containing components. Soybean lecithin or soybean lecithin contains lecithin, cephalin, cardiolipin, phosphatidic acid (PA), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), acetal phospholipid, lysophospholipid, etc. Its various nutrients are of great benefit to human body, and its cost is low. Therefore, most of the products sold in the market are soybean lecithin.

When it comes to egg yolk phospholipids, there are still sources. The word "lecithin" comes from Greek egg yolk "Lekithos". 1846, Gobley separated phosphorus-containing fatty substances from egg yolk and named them phospholipids. Egg yolk phospholipids belong to animal embryo phospholipids, which contain a lot of cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as many indispensable nutrients and trace elements. Egg yolk lecithin can emulsify cholesterol into very fine particles, which can be used by tissues through blood vessel walls without increasing cholesterol in plasma. Undoubtedly, egg yolk lecithin has the highest nutritional value among similar products at present. But what many people don't know is that due to its extraction technology, process limitations and cost considerations, the amount of egg yolk lecithin successfully prepared is very small. Even if there is, the price is quite expensive. I hope people can identify the fake goods in the market under the banner of egg yolk lecithin.

1At the 7th International Conference on Lecithin held in Brussels in September, 1996, doctors and nutritionists discussed and confirmed that lecithin (soybean lecithin) as a nutritional product plays an important role in improving health and preventing diseases. It has been widely recognized by nutrition experts, pharmacologists and medical scientists all over the world. Lecithin, as a functional health food, has a comprehensive, long-term and stable effect, although it is not immediate. At the same time, there are no side effects of drugs. So based on its characteristics, many studies show that it has a very good effect on the prevention of the following diseases.

First, it is the protector of the liver.

Choline in phospholipids has affinity for fat. If the choline in the body is insufficient, it will affect the fat metabolism, leading to the accumulation of fat in the liver, forming fatty liver and even redness. Lecithin can not only prevent fatty liver, but also promote liver cell regeneration. At the same time, lecithin can reduce the content of serum cholesterol, prevent liver cirrhosis and contribute to the recovery of liver function.

For a long time, nutritionists and medical scientists have recognized that lecithin has a protective effect on human and animal liver function. In one experiment, Dr. Zesel found that liver cells growing in test tubes would die because of lack of lecithin. He also found in animal experiments that only a few weeks after eating a diet lacking lecithin, liver function would be abnormal and the incidence of liver cancer would increase significantly. In his research, he also found that with more and more diseases in modern civilization, alcohol and high cholesterol have become two important factors of fatty liver and cirrhosis. Lecithin can fully protect liver cells, promote the activation and regeneration of liver cells and enhance liver function, thus effectively reducing the prevalence of alcoholic cirrhosis, fatty liver and other diseases.

Second, it has a positive effect on heart health.

In 1960s, scientists discovered that lecithin may have the function of protecting the heart. In further research, it was finally confirmed that lecithin has a positive effect on heart health. This is because it can regulate the content of cholesterol in human body and effectively reduce the incidence of cholesterol, hyperlipidemia and coronary heart disease.

Third, promote brain development and enhance memory.

Dr Warren Lake, a professor of psychology at Duke University in North Carolina, mentioned in the report that in the intelligence test (maze test), the memory of the offspring of pregnant rats fed with lecithin was significantly better than that of the offspring of rats fed without lecithin. Steven Zesel, MD, MD, professor and director of the Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina, and the chief expert of the conference, said in his congratulatory message: "Summarizing all the research results on lecithin, we especially recommend pregnant women to take a proper amount of lecithin, which is very important for the infant's intellectual development. "The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stipulates that lecithin should be properly supplemented in all infants' diets.

Fourth, it is the "scavenger" of blood vessels.

Lecithin can emulsify and decompose oil, improve blood circulation, improve blood lipid, remove peroxide, reduce the content of cholesterol and neutral fat in blood, reduce the residence time of fat on the inner wall of blood vessels, promote the dissipation of atherosclerotic plaques and prevent intimal injury caused by cholesterol. Taking lecithin has a significant effect on hyperlipidemia and hypercholesterolemia, so it can prevent and treat arteriosclerosis (hypertension, myocardial infarction, cerebral hemorrhage).

According to the data, the prevalence of arteriosclerosis increases almost synchronously with people's age. Usually, arteriosclerosis begins in middle age, but with people eating a lot of meat and fat, the incidence of arteriosclerosis tends to be younger, and men are more than women. Patients with atherosclerosis usually suffer from hyperlipidemia with high cholesterol content, and the prevalence of hypertension, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction and cerebral hemorrhage is relatively high. Experiments show that eating lecithin can significantly reduce hyperlipidemia and cholesterol, thus preventing arteriosclerosis.

Fifth, it is a nutritional product for diabetic patients.

Lack of lecithin will make the pancreas function decline, unable to secrete enough insulin, unable to effectively transport blood glucose to cells, which is one of the basic causes of diabetes. If you eat more than 20 grams of lecithin every day, the recovery of diabetes is quite remarkable. Many patients no longer even need insulin injections. Especially for patients with complications such as diabetic gangrene and arteriosclerosis.

Sixth, it can effectively resolve gallstones.

Excessive cholesterol in the body will precipitate, thus forming gallstones, which are 90% composed of cholesterol. The main component of bile is lecithin, in addition to water, cholesterol, minerals and pigments. Lecithin can decompose, digest and absorb excess cholesterol, thus keeping cholesterol in bile liquid. If you take a certain amount of lecithin every day, you can effectively prevent the formation of gallstones, and you can also play a role in resolving the gallstones that have already formed.

Seven, it is a necessity for the neural development of fetus and baby.

Under normal circumstances, pregnant women's amniotic fluid contains a lot of lecithin. There are about 654.38+0.5 billion brain cells in the human body, 70% of which have been formed as early as the mother. In order to promote the healthy development of fetal brain cells, it is very important for pregnant women to supplement enough lecithin. Infant is the most critical period for the formation and development of the brain. Lecithin can promote the growth and development of brain nervous system and brain volume. Therefore, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stipulates that lecithin must be added to infant milk powder.

Eight, can eliminate acne and freckles and moisturize the skin.

There are many toxins in normal people, especially in the intestines. When the content of these toxins is too high, they will deposit on the skin with blood circulation, thus forming spots or acne. Lecithin is just a natural antidote. It can decompose excess toxins in the body and excrete them through the treatment of liver and kidney. When the toxins in the body are reduced to a certain concentration, the spots and acne on the face will gradually disappear. Lecithin also has certain hydrophilicity and can increase heme. If a certain amount of lecithin is ingested every day, it can provide sufficient moisture and oxygen for the skin, making the skin smooth and moist.

Lecithin is an indispensable substance in every cell of human body. If it is lacking, it will reduce the regeneration ability of skin cells and lead to rough and wrinkled skin. If lecithin can be properly ingested, skin rejuvenation can be guaranteed. Coupled with the good hydrophilicity and lipophilicity of lecithin, the skin will of course be shiny. In addition, inositol contained in lecithin is the main nutrient component of hair, which can inhibit hair loss and make white hair turn black slowly.

Nine, it can prevent the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease

With the increase of age, people's memory will decline, which is related to the lack of acetylcholine content. The decrease of neurotransmitter (acetylcholine) in brain is the main cause of Alzheimer's disease, and acetylcholine is an essential compound for information transmission in nervous system. Moreover, "choline" is the basic component of lecithin. Adequate supply of lecithin will ensure that there is enough choline in the body to combine with acetyl in the human body to form "acetylcholine", thus becoming an adequate information transmission substance for the brain. The brain can directly absorb lecithin and choline from the blood and quickly convert them into acetylcholine. Long-term supplementation of lecithin can slow down the process of memory decline and prevent or delay the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease.

X. It is a good psychological regulator.

With the increasingly fierce social competition, people often have symptoms such as anxiety, impatience, irritability, insomnia, tinnitus, etc., that is, autonomic nerve disorder, which is often called neurasthenia. Regular supplementation of lecithin can make the brain nerves get nutritional supplements in time, maintain a healthy working state, help to eliminate fatigue, strengthen brain cells, and improve symptoms such as impatience, irritability and insomnia caused by nervous tension.

In addition, smokers should supplement lecithin. Why do they eat more lecithin? The content of lecithin in the lungs of smokers is only one seventh of that of non-smokers. Alveola is a kind of cell that absorbs oxygen in the body. The alveoli are moist, and the inhaled oxygen is easy to dissolve, otherwise it will cause hypoxia in the body. Lecithin is hydrophilic and can keep alveoli moist, thus increasing the oxygen uptake of the body. People who smoke generally have dry alveoli, lack of oxygen intake, and are more prone to fatigue due to lack of oxygen after exercise and work, so they should supplement lecithin more.

composition

Nutrition label100g

700 calories

Protein 0 g

Fat 53 grams

Carbohydrate 8.0 g

Sodium 1 1 mg

Acetone insoluble matter (phospholipid% A. I ), 97%

Phosphatidylcholine 26%

Choline 3.40%

Phosphatidylethanolamine 20%

Inositol phospholipid 14%

Inositol 3.40%

Phosphatidylserine 0.5%

5-8% of plant glycolipid

Other phospholipids, lipid 6-9%

Natural lecithin

Use 1-2 tablespoons each time, which can be taken with water, mixed with vegetables and fruits to make juice, or mixed with seasonings.

How to add lecithin to the diet?

Lecithin can be taken at any time.

He can drink it alone, or he can mix it with fruit snow bubble or your favorite drink. Here are a few simple examples to teach you how to easily dissolve lecithin into your life.

Convenient and nutritious

Lecithin+total nutrients = meal replacement for dieters.

Lecithin+soybean powder = nutritious breakfast drink

Just sprinkle it in ice cream, cereal, cake, salad or soup.

Add it to your diet.

Bake cakes, soups, biscuits, bread and pancakes. Just add 0.5 square foot lecithin and the total weight of the formula.

Use these interesting recipes at home.

The juice of magical memory recovery

two

1/4

4 Xiaoke

1/2

1 tablespoon medium-sized cooked tomatoes, washed.

Small lettuce head, washed

Cauliflower, washed

Small or medium lemon, washed and peeled.

Nn lecithin

Method:

Cut the tomatoes and lettuce heads into pieces, put them into a juicer, squeeze the tomatoes, lettuce heads, cauliflower and lemon into juice, pour them into a cup and mix in a tablespoon of lecithin, then stir. It can be drunk at room temperature, frozen or according to personal preference.

Juice of Slim and Savior

1/2

1/2

1 small handle

five

1/4

1 inch

1 tablespoon cucumber, scrub clean.

Little green apples, wash them.

Basri, clean.

Medium-sized radish, brush clean

Small or medium lemon, washed and peeled.

Slice ginger and wash it.

Nn lecithin

Method:

Dice cucumber and apple, tie basil, and press into juicer. Then the cucumber, apple, radish, lemon and ginger are pressed into the juicer. Squeeze all the ingredients into juice, pour into a cup and mix with a spoonful of lecithin, then stir well. It can be drunk at room temperature, frozen or according to personal preference.

Simple chocolate biscuits

1 15g

1 spoon

1/2 spoons

1/2 spoons

100g

60 grams

60 grams

1/2 spoons

1 capsule

175g flour

Nn lecithin

salt

sodium bicarbonate

Cream (softening)

granulated sugar

brown sugar

vanilla extract

Eggs (middle)

Marble chocolate barley

Method:

1. Preheat oven 375F or 190? C.

2. Mix flour, salt and baking soda in a small bowl.

3. In another bowl, mix cream, sugar and brown sugar, vanilla extract and eggs, and stir until smooth.

4. Slowly add the dry ingredients and the mixture of lecithin and cream.

Add chocolate beans

6. Put a small amount of mixed materials on an oil-free baking tray.

7. Bake at 375F or 190c for eight to ten minutes.

* You can also try adding walnuts, macadamia nuts, white chocolate or orange peel to increase diversity.

Promote liver health

Lecithin is an important component of the liver, accounting for 73% of the whole liver. It can protect the liver from deterioration caused by high-fat food, alcohol and drugs. The fat-soluble function of lecithin also helps to prevent gallstones.

Healthy skin that is youthful and moving.

Lecithin is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which helps to reduce various skin problems. It can resist dry skin, make skin young and beautiful, and reduce the common yellow fat deposition in skin layer and around eyes.

Slim and healthy.

Lecithin is one of the oldest and most widely used natural slimming nutrients. His emulsification can strengthen and accelerate the metabolism of fat, thus eliminating ugly fat.

Promote healthy heart and cholesterol levels.

Lecithin can decompose plaque deposited on arterial wall, promote vascular elasticity and improve blood circulation. It can also help increase benign cholesterol (HDL- HDL) and reduce bad cholesterol (LDL- LDL) and triglycerides.

Lecithin has been able to resist the damage caused by homocysteine Homocysteine is an amino acid, which mainly causes cardiovascular diseases.

Add vitality and spark.

Lecithin is a full-day energy source. If taken every day, it can improve health and vitality. It is especially effective not only for people who are recovering from illness and dieting to lose weight, but also for men who are extremely tired and exhausted because of lack of lecithin in semen.

What diseases can lecithin prevent?

1. Relationship with brain development and memory: Dr. Warren Laike (Professor of Psychology, Duke University, North Carolina, USA) mentioned in the report that in the intelligence test (maze test), the memory of the offspring of pregnant rats fed with lecithin was significantly better than that of the offspring of rats fed without lecithin. Steven Zesel, M.D. (M.D., professor and director of the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina, chief expert of the conference) said in his congratulatory message: "To sum up all the research results on lecithin, we should especially recommend pregnant women to take an appropriate amount of lecithin, which is very important for their baby's intellectual development. "The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stipulates that lecithin should be properly supplemented in all infants' diets.

2. Benefits to the heart: In the 1960s, scientists discovered that lecithin may have the function of protecting the heart. In further research, it was finally confirmed that lecithin has a positive effect on heart health. This is because it can regulate the content of cholesterol in human body and effectively reduce the incidence of hypercholesterolemia, hyperlipidemia and coronary heart disease.

3. Protecting the liver: For a long time, nutritionists and medical scientists have realized that lecithin has a protective effect on the liver function of people and animals. In one experiment, Dr. Zesel found that liver cells growing in test tubes would die because of lack of lecithin. He also found in animal experiments that only a few weeks after eating a diet lacking lecithin, liver function would be abnormal and the incidence of liver cancer would increase significantly. In his research, he also found that lecithin can protect the liver from alcohol and play a role in hangover, thus effectively reducing the prevalence of alcoholic cirrhosis, fatty liver and other diseases.

In view of the fact that soybean phospholipid health care product is a functional health food, although it has no immediate effect, it has a comprehensive, long-term and stable effect, and there is no side effect of drugs. Physicians have also begun to pay attention to the positive role of lecithin in preventing diseases. A large number of studies show that lecithin has a very good effect on the prevention of the following diseases.

1. Atherosclerosis (hypertension, myocardial infarction, cerebral hemorrhage) According to the data, the prevalence of atherosclerosis increases almost synchronously with people's age. Usually, arteriosclerosis begins in middle age, but with people eating a lot of meat and fat, the incidence of arteriosclerosis tends to be younger, and men are more than women. Patients with arteriosclerosis usually suffer from hyperlipidemia with high cholesterol content, and the prevalence of hypertension, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction and cerebral hemorrhage is correspondingly high. Experiments show that eating lecithin can significantly reduce hyperlipidemia and high cholesterol, thus preventing arteriosclerosis.

2, liver disease (cirrhosis, hepatitis, fatty liver) The liver has the function of storing energy, excreting waste and supplying some important things in the body. It consumes a lot of phospholipids. Although the liver itself can synthesize a small amount of phospholipids, it still needs to be supplemented from the diet. With more and more diseases in modern civilization, alcohol and high cholesterol have become two important factors of fatty liver and cirrhosis. Lecithin can fully protect hepatocytes, promote the activation and regeneration of hepatocytes and enhance liver function.

3, skin disease lecithin is an indispensable substance in every cell of the human body. If it is lacking, it will reduce the regeneration ability of skin cells, leading to rough skin and wrinkles. If you can properly ingest lecithin, you can ensure the skin's regenerative vitality. Coupled with the good hydrophilicity and lipophilicity of lecithin, the skin will of course be shiny. In addition, inositol contained in lecithin is the main nutrient component of hair, which can inhibit hair loss and make white hair turn black slowly.

4. The decrease of neurotransmitter (acetylcholine) in the brain of Alzheimer's Harmo's disease is the main cause of Alzheimer's Harmo's disease, and "choline" is the basic component of lecithin. Sufficient supply of lecithin will ensure that enough choline in the body can combine with B in the body to form "acetylcholine", thus providing sufficient information transmission substances for the brain and effectively preventing the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease.

= = = = = Soybean contains the most lecithin = = = = =