Does lecithin weight loss really work? You may have heard this but nutrition experts say we should discard this information since lecithin has no effect on fat. They say that buying supplements is a waste of money because most of us already have enough lecithin in our diet.
There is quite a lot of lecithin in most people’s diet already from eggs, milk, fish, liver, and vegetable oils in general. It is used in food processing to help oil and water mix so it is present in chocolate, ice cream, margarine, many cake mixes, and baked goods.
What is lecithin in the first place? It is a mixture of fats called phosphoglycerides that contain phosphate. Pure lecithin called phosphatidyl choline is found only in research laboratories while the commercial product is an impure mixture of phosphoglycerides extracted from vegetable oils and mixed with simple fats.
Lecithin weight loss is advertised as a weight loss tool which is untrue since the main sources are fattening and large amounts can contribute to obesity. This distorted notion is based on lecithin’s ability to transport fats around the bloodstream. It is, however, useless as far as lecithin weight loss is concerned.
Lecithin is also believed to help lower blood cholesterol levels in some people. Rayner said 12 of 15 patients who took six tablespoons (36 grams) of lecithin granules daily for three months showed a striking decline in serum cholesterol of 41 percent.
Researchers have found that the reason for this is not lecithin itself but linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid which is the product of lecithin digestion. In this case, it would be a better choice to eat more vegetable oils which are rich sources of linoleic acid rather than rely on expensive lecithin supplements.
Ask your doctor about lecithin weight loss.