One Lecithin A Day Helps Keep The Doctor Away

Produced by the liver when nutrition and diet is adequate, lecithin is a fat like substance needed by every cell in the body. It is in fact an essential component of the cell membranes which would harden if Lecithin wasn't present in sufficient quantities.

Lecithin acts as a protector of cells oxidation and comprises the protective sheaths surrounding the brain. It plays an intrinsic role in long term memory and helps maintain the nervous system.

It is composed mostly of vitamin B, choline, inositol, linoleic acid as well as phosphoric acid.

As a fat emulsifier, Lecithin is also vital the supporting and maintaining a healthy heart and circulatory system.

Celebrated for years as a wonderful food able to fight a diverse number of ailments such as atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, liver cirrhosis, gall stones, psoriasis, eczema, scleroderma, anxiety, tremors and brain aging and was even claimed by a leading purveyor of soybean to be a nerve tonic which could even help alcoholics reduce the effect of intoxication and withdrawal. Chinese researchers even went as far as publishing and article entitled "A Comfortable and Spontaneous Cure for the Opium Habit by Means of Lecithin"

Later popularized by bestselling health authors Adelle Davis, Linda Clark and Mary Ann Crenshaw it didn't become a star of the health food industry by accident. Several studies were conducted in the past 50 years suggesting the health benefits of this food substance and in 2001 the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) authorized products containing enough of it to bear labels such as "A good source of choline." In fact eggs, milk and soy products are the leading dietary sources of choline, according to recent research conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at Duke University.

Lecithin is regarded as safe except for people who are highly allergic to soy. The late Robert Atkins, MD, advised patients not to take large doses of supplemental lecithin without extra vitamin C.

As with everything concerning health, the object is to aim for an optimal health and the preferable method of achieving this is by the consumption of a balanced diet, which includes all the necessary nutrients indispensable for our health.

The problem is that a perfectly balanced diet is difficult to achieve in today's society. In addition to most American's deficit in terms of nutritional supplements furnished and derived by their food intake, people are now exposed to a level of stress which can exacerbate food deficiencies. As a result of these additional external factors, health may become compromised.

It is my opinion that if all was being equal and perfect in our consumption of food, we would not need to supplement our diet with nutritional supplements. Vitamins, minerals are normally produced in sufficient quantities by our body. The problem arises when these quantities diminish over time creating a disequilibrium which then may cause more serious complications.

Organic Vitamins and nutritional supplements such as Lecithin have been shown to redress this imbalance, thus improving our general health.