What Is Soy Lecithin Used For

If you lot read your food labels, I'grand sure that you've run across the ingredient "soy lecithin" because it'south 1 of the most widely used food additives on the market today.

Soy lecithin is widely found in both conventional and health food stores. Information technology'southward often used as an ingredient in food products and is sold in supplement course to boost your health.

Yet, surprisingly, in that location is a lot of confusion (and maybe even prejudgment) virtually soy lecithin because information technology includes the word "soy."

So, what is soy lecithin, and is it good for me?

The bottom line is that in that location are pros and cons to consuming soy lecithin, but it'south definitely non as bad every bit some brand information technology out to be. When you lot choose the right soy lecithin products, it actually boasts potential health benefits, such equally its power to lower cholesterol levels and heave brain role.

Nevertheless, the soy lecithin world tin can be tricky, equally information technology is indeed made from soy, a food that I typically try to avoid unless information technology'southward fermented.

Keep reading to acquire more nigh how soy lecithin is made and whether or not it should be avoided like many other soy products on the market today.

What Is Soy Lecithin?

When seeking to reply the question, "What is soy lecithin?" our search immediately takes us to mid-nineteen^thursday century France. Starting time isolated by French chemist Theodore Gobley in 1846, lecithin is a generic term to designate a variety of naturally occurring fatty compounds found in creature and constitute tissues.

Composed of choline, fat acids, glycerol, glycolipids, phospholipids, phosphoric acid and triglycerides, lecithin was originally isolated from egg yolk. Today, it is regularly extracted from cottonseed, marine sources, milk, rapeseed, soybeans and sunflower.

It is usually used as a liquid but can also exist purchased as lecithin granules.

By and large, the vast majority of lecithin use centers around its usefulness equally an excellent emulsifier.

We know that oil and water don't mix, correct? When the two are placed into a solution and shaken together, the oil droplets initially spread out and appear to evenly disperse, simply once the shaking stops, the oil separates from the water again.

This is exactly why lecithin is and so important and often used equally an additive in candy foods, medicine and supplements.

When lecithin enters the equation, oil is broken down into smaller particles in a process called emulsification, making the oil aerosol easier to clean or digest when eaten. Thus, lecithin helps give products a smoothen, uniform appearance.

Additionally, its ability to emulsify fats makes it an ideal ingredient for nonstick cooking sprays and soaps.

Soy in Soy Lecithin

Soy lecithin is extracted from raw soybeans, and then if you lot're wondering if information technology contains soy, the answer is yep. First the oil is extracted using a chemical solvent, like hexane, and then the oil is candy (which is called degumming) so the lecithin is separated and dried.

Information technology appears that soy lecithin but contains trace levels of soy proteins. For this reason, researchers believe that soy lecithin will not provoke allergic reactions in the bulk of soy-allergic consumers because it does not contain sufficient soy protein residues.

Y'all see, the soybean allergens are found in the protein fraction, which is about entirely removed in the soy lecithin manufacturing process. The Institute of Agriculture and National Resource at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln suggests "many allergists exercise not even advise their soybean-allergic patients to avoid soybean lecithin when information technology is included as an ingredient on food products."

Do use caution when eating any product containing soy, though. People with more sensitive soybean allergies still may react negatively to soy lecithin ingestion and will take to be more witting of packaged foods containing this ingredient.

Another widely researched issue regarding soy is that it contains isoflavones or phytoestrogens, which are naturally occurring estrogenic compounds. Although isoflavones are found in many different found foods, soybeans incorporate uniquely rich amounts.

In soybeans, isoflavones occur almost exclusively as glycosides (saccharide compounds), but once the soy food is ingested, the saccharide is hydrolyzed and can be captivated by the trunk.

Isoflavones have a chemical construction that'southward similar to the hormone estrogen, so they tin bind to estrogen receptors and cause estrogen-like effects on the torso. That's at least what some beast studies have shown us, but there is definitely more than research to be done on this topic to fully understand the role that consuming isoflavones has on our health.

Although consuming isoflavones may take potential wellness benefits, similar improving menopause and osteoporosis symptoms, there are concerns most their estrogen-like properties and how they affect the thyroid, uterus and breasts, according to an evaluation of the clinical and epidemiologic literature on this bailiwick that was published in Nutrients.

Personally, when I do eat soy, I but become for fermented soy products, similar miso and tempeh. They may exist beneficial to your health considering they:

are excellent sources of dietary protein
comprise all of the essential amino acids
are easier to assimilate

Plus, the fermentation procedure breaks down the antinutrients that are present, and they contain probiotics.

Natto, for example, is a dish that contains fermented soybeans, and I consider it ane the greatest probiotic foods because it has been proven to help reduce inflammation and support your immune arrangement.

Nutrition Facts

Often extracted from soybean oil, one ounce (28 grams) of soybean lecithin has the following nutritional content:

214 calories
28 grams fat
- 1,438 milligrams omega-three fatty acids
- 11,250 milligrams omega-6 fat acids
51.five micrograms vitamin Thousand (64 percentage DV)
2.3 milligrams vitamin Eastward (eleven percent DV)
98 milligrams choline

Why are lecithin supplements so popular, and what are soy lecithin capsules used for? The answer lies in the fact that lecithin supplements contain a circuitous mixture of phospholipids, which etch the cellular membrane construction and are used for energy storage.

Two types of phospholipids that are essential components for biological membranes include phosphatidycholine and phosphatidylserine.

Researchers in Nippon institute that the administration of fresh phospholipids can work to supersede damaged cell membranes and restore the construction and function of the cellular membrane. This is chosen lipid replacement therapy, and it has been shown to meliorate fatigue, diabetes symptoms, degenerative diseases and metabolic syndrome.

Phosphatidylcholine is one of the main forms of choline and acts as an essential component in jail cell membrane signaling. Phosphatidylcholine is produced in the liver and converted into choline, which plays several important processes within the body.

Phosphatidylserine is plant in the membranes of all animals, higher plants and microorganisms. In humans, information technology'southward virtually concentrated in the brain, and phosphatidylserine supplementation is often used to improve brain role in elderly patients.

Enquiry as well shows that it might be benign for children and young people with ADHD and mental health conditions.

Risks and Side Effects

Although there are a number of potential benefits from consuming soy lecithin, at that place are also some dangers and side effects that yous should be aware of earlier choosing to ingest foods or supplements containing this ingredient.

Extraction Practices

When determining soy lecithin side effects and safety, it's important to consider the extraction process that's required to get the emulsifier from soybeans.

Hexane is a solvent that's used to excerpt oils from seeds and vegetables. It's as well used every bit a solvent for glues and varnishes and equally a cleaning agent in the printing industry.

Hexane is used in the extraction process when separating the lecithin from the soybean, and then it is removed through another multi-step process.

There tin be hexane remainder leftover, all the same, and this is not regulated past the U.Southward. Food and Drug Administration. That means nosotros don't know exactly how much hexane may be in the soy lecithin that you lot're eating, and the Environmental Protection Agency lists a number of dangerous side furnishings of hexane inhalation exposure, which reportedly include mild central nervous system effects similar dizziness, nausea and headaches.

GMO Soybeans

Another potential issue with soy lecithin is that unless it's labeled every bit "organic soy lecithin," it probably comes from genetically modified soybeans.

Is soy lecithin genetically modified? Well, generally speaking, since soy lecithin is extracted from soy oil, which is almost e'er generically modified, the answer is usually yes.

A major result is that the original source for soy lecithin is nearly impossible to tract down, so information technology tin can very well come from GMO soy and you wouldn't know information technology.

Potential Estrogenic Furnishings

The science about isoflavones and their estrogenic effects notwithstanding isn't clear. There is animal enquiry indicating that consuming loftier amounts of soy phytoestrogens can reduce testosterone levels, but there'south also prove that soy consumption has no outcome on hormone levels in men.

People with thyroid issues should try to limit soy consumption considering studies have found that it may decrease the production of thyroid hormones in the body.

Allergic Reactions

People with sensitive soy allergies may have an adverse reaction to soy lecithin, and in many cases, information technology's fabricated from genetically modified soy.

A 2020 report published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics evaluated whether children with soy allergies reacted to soy lecithin in food products. Twenty children participated in the study, and they were randomly assigned to either a placebo or challenge dose of soy lecithin. One child had a slight reaction to the emulsifier.

These results are likely because soy lecithin simply contains trace levels of soy proteins. Although the ingredient is likely safe, people with severe allergies to soy should avert foods made with soy lecithin.

Potential Benefits

ane. Improves Cholesterol Levels

Dietary soy lecithin supplementation is most strongly connected with decreasing hyperlipidemia and influencing lipid metabolism. It's known for its important office in processing fatty and cholesterol, which is why people sometimes take soy lecithin supplements to lower cholesterol naturally.

Research suggests that properties of lecithin have the ability to reduce the excess of LDL cholesterol and promote the synthesis of HDL in the liver.

A 2010 report published in the journal Cholesterolevaluated total cholesterol and LDL levels after soy lecithin assistants in patients with diagnosed hypercholesterolemia levels. For the written report, one 500-milligram soy lecithin supplement was taken by 30 volunteers every day, and the results were quite astounding.

Researchers found the following to be true later on patients supplemented with soy lecithin:

A reduction of 41 percent in total cholesterol after 1 month
A reduction of 42 percentage in total cholesterol afterwards 2 months
A reduction of 42 per centum in LDL after 1 month
A reduction of 56 pct in LDL after 2 months

This study suggests that soy lecithin may be used equally a dietary supplement for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia.

ii. Serves as a Source of Choline

Soy lecithin contains phosphatidylcholine, which is ane of the master forms of choline, a macronutrient that plays an of import role in liver part, muscle movement, metabolism, nerve function and proper brain development.

Researchers at the University of Wales Swansea revealed that phosphatidylcholine supplementation has been constitute to support healthy cholesterol levels, liver function and brain function. Many of the potential benefits of soy lecithin pulverisation or supplements come from the choline content.

three. May Boost Immunity

Soy lecithin supplementation has been shown to significantly boost immune function amidst diabetic rats. Brazilian researchers discovered that daily supplementation with soy lecithin acquired macrophage activity (white blood cells that engulf foreign debris) of diabetic rats to increase by 29 percentage.

Additionally, they discovered that lymphocyte (white claret cells that are fundamental to the allowed system) numbers skyrocketed 92 percent in not-diabetic rats. This suggests that, at to the lowest degree in rats, soy lecithin has immunomodulatory furnishings.

More research is needed to conclude the role of soy lecithin in the homo immune organisation.

iv. Helps Trunk Deal with Physical and Mental Stress

One of the many keys to soy lecithin's health benefits is a compound known as phosphatidylserine —a common phospholipid that helps make up part of the cell membranes in plants and animals. Known to impact stress hormones adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol, phosphatidylserine derived from cow brains has been shown to dampen response to concrete stress.

Testing to see how phosphatidylserine derived from soy lecithin compared, German researchers evaluated the furnishings that soy lecithin phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylserine complex (a combination referred to equally PAS) supplementation has on ACTH, cortisol and a psychological evaluation known as the Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory stress subscale.

Published in the Danish journal Stress, the trial compared 400 milligrams, 600 milligrams and 800 milligrams of PAS on groups of 20 people each. The researchers not only discovered that PAS has some pretty remarkable furnishings on the human being psyche, but they uncovered that it is dose-dependent.

They found a sweet spot with the 400 milligrams of PAS considering it is considerably more effective at blunting serum ACTH and cortisol levels than the larger doses.

This report suggests that specific backdrop in soy lecithin may have a selective stress-dampening consequence and may even be used in the natural treatment of stress-related disorders.

five. May Improve Cognitive Function

A three-month, double-bullheaded, placebo-controlled report published in Advances in Therapy evaluated the positive effects of a supplement containing a blend of 300 milligrams of phosphatidylserine and 240 milligrams of phosphatidic acid that was produced from soy lecithin.

The supplement or placebo was given to non-depressive elderly patients with retentivity problems three times a day for three months. In a split investigation, the supplement was given to patients with Alzheimer's disease to measure its effect on their daily functioning, mental wellness, emotional state and self-reported general condition.

Researchers found that by the end of the treatment menses, the supplement blend made from properties found in soy lecithin significantly improved retentivity and prevented the "winter dejection" in elderly patients compared to those receiving the placebo.

Amidst the Alzheimer'due south illness patients, the supplement grouping had a 3.8 percent deterioration and ninety.6 percent stability in daily functioning compared to 17.9 percent and 79.5 percent under the placebo. Plus, 49 pct of those in the treatment group reported an improved general status compared to 26.3 percentage of those receiving the placebo.

These findings suggest that soy lecithin-derived phosphatidylserine and phosphatidic acid may accept a positive influence on memory, cognition and mood among the elderly and those suffering from cognitive conditions.

6. May Forestall Osteoporosis

Although the inquiry is mixed, there are studies indicating that soybean and soy-based ingredients, including soy lecithin, act as antiresorptive and bone-enhancing agents in preventing osteoporosis. This is due to the isoflavones found in soy, specifically the glycosides.

According to a scientific review published in the Periodical of Medicinal Food, epidemiologic studies have found that elderly Asian women take a lower incidence of hip fractures than Caucasian women, and further research indicates that the consumption of soy products is much higher among Asians than caucasians.

Researchers country that soy-based products could "potentially lower the os loss rate and subtract the risk of fracture." This may be due to soy's estrogenic furnishings, as estrogen deficiency induced by menopause has been shown to accelerate bone loss in older women.

It as well may exist due to properties in soy (notably the glycosides) that take antioxidant, antiproliferative, estrogenic and immune-modulating effects.

7. Relieves Menopause Symptoms

In addition to its potential do good for osteoporosis, research suggests that soy lecithin supplements may help improve menopause symptoms by improving vigor and claret pressure levels in menopausal women. A 2018 randomized, double-bullheaded, placebo-controlled study including 96 women between the ages of 40 to 60 sought to investigate whether or not soy lecithin supplements could help to relieve symptoms of fatigue.

The participants were randomized to receive active tablets containing high-dose (1,200 milligrams per 24-hour interval) or low-dose (600 milligrams per day) soy lecithin or a placebo for an viii-week period.

Researchers establish that the improvements in fatigue symptoms, diastolic blood pressure and cardio-talocrural joint vascular index (to measure out arterial stiffness) were greater in the high-dose grouping compared with the placebo grouping.

8. May Help Forestall Cancer

A 2011 study published in the journal Epidemiology found that at that place may be a reduced adventure of breast cancer associated with lecithin supplement use. Researchers weren't able to brand any conclusive statements near it being able to treat cancer just suggested that their findings should exist considered "hypothesis-generating."

This link betwixt soy lecithin and decreased breast cancer gamble may be due to the presence of phosphatidylcholine in soy lecithin, which is converted to choline when ingested.

How to Avert Information technology

People with astringent allergies to soy products or those who are sensitive to soy lecithin should avoid foods made with the ingredient. For those who don't feel side furnishings from eating the emulsifier simply desire to avoid consuming GMO foods, opt for choosing but organic foods with soy lecithin on the label.

Some products are made with other types of emulsifiers that can exist considered safer ingredients. Sunflower lecithin is a proficient alternative, and egg yolks can have a similar consequence in food products.

Final Thoughts

Lecithin is a generic term to designate a variety of naturally occurring fatty compounds found in animal and plant tissues. Soy lecithin, in particular, is extracted from soybeans and often used as an emulsifier.
Soy lecithin is composed of choline, fat acids, glycerol, glycolipids, phospholipids, phosphoric acrid and triglycerides. Information technology contains very little soy protein, and so it's generally considered safe for people with soy allergies.
Soy lecithin too has potential health benefits, including its ability to:
- improve cholesterol
- serve equally a source of choline
- boost immunity
- help the body deal with mental and physical stress
- improve cognitive role
- forbid osteoporosis
- relieve menopause symptoms
- possibly reduce the risk of cancer
Although there are many potential health benefits of soy lecithin, it is notwithstanding usually derived from genetically modified soy, so look for organic options whenever possible. Also, keep in listen that soy lecithin contains isoflavones, which can accept estrogenic-effects when ingested.

What Is Soy Lecithin Used For,

Source: https://draxe.com/nutrition/what-is-soy-lecithin/

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