Save your cells: nine health and fitness reasons why you should include lecithin in your diet

Imagine yourself gliding along the coast of Cape Cod in your handcrafted sailboat when suddenly you spring a leak, and then another and another. Now imagine the boat is your body and those leaks are popping up in the cells of your most vital organs, causing liver failure, heart disease and an impaired nervous system. To salvage your "boat" you'd want something a little stronger than the duct tape Gilligan hands you. Similarly, to patch up those blemishes in your cell walls, you'd want the equivalent of physiological superglue. Lecithin--a supplement you've probably never heard of--is exactly that.

"Lecithin's significance to the active man cannot be overstated," says Jim Wright, Ph.D., former chief of the exercise science branch of the U.S. Army Fitness School. "It can make a big difference--subtly and over the long term--in your physical appearance and overall health by helping your liver and immune system and aiding in the digestion of fats."

LEC IS MORE

Lecithin, a.k.a. phosphatidytcholine, is a naturally occurring phospholipid that inhabits the cell membranes in your body and helps determine what enters and leaves your cells. What makes lecithin so crucial is that every cell in your body needs it. Lecithin also contains choline, an essential nutrient that your body requires but doesn't produce in adequate amounts, therefore making its consumption a must. If you skimp on choline, you're opening up yourself up to all kinds of problems (see Reason #6, page 107).

You can get lecithin--and subsequently choline--through food. The richest sources of it include egg yolks, organ meats such as beef liver (not on everyone's plate of agreeable comestibles) and processed foods. However, processed foods pose a big problem. Since lecithin's emulsifying properties prevent separation of ingredients, processed foods containing lecithin are generally loaded with fat. Hence, supplementing with lecithin is the ideal way to go, since you get the benefits without the lard. Here are nine good reasons to add lecithin to your current supplement plan.

REASON #1

PROTECT AGAINST FREE RADICALS

"Life occurs as a result of cell membranes, which control what goes in and out of cells," says Wright. A shortage of lecithin equals faulty cell membranes, which can allow toxic materials or waste products to accumulate in your cells, while at the same time barring substances that are crucial for cellular repair and healing, such as water, protein and nutrients. "Maintaining adequate levels of lecithin in membranes is critical for everyone's health, but especially for those who train hard, because as a result of exercise, more toxic materials accumulate in your cells and cell membranes," says Wright. "This is what generates an excess of free radicals that damage your cells."

REASON #2:

REDUCE THE RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

As an integral part of every cell membrane, lecithin minimizes the cardiovascular impact of dietary fats. "It contributes cholesterol-lowering polyunsaturated, fatty acids and inhibits intestinal absorption of cholesterol," says Wright. Translation: It helps prevent heart attacks.

REASON #3:

PROMOTE A HEALTHY LIVER

Lecithin is believed to prevent alcohol-induced cirrhosis of the liver. Even though you're probably not guzzling Wild Turkey 101 by the funnel (we hope), your liver has to deal with a tremendous number of toxins every day (from alcohol to pain relievers), so anything that supports liver function is considered valuable. Studies to date have only been conducted on animals, but Wright says research on humans is now underway.

REASON #4:

OPTIMIZE THE WORK OF PAINKILLERS

You get aches and pains just like everyone else, so you pop an occasional ibuprofen or acetaminophen tablet. That's fine, but doing so regularly can also cause lesions--some that bleed--in your gastrointestinal tract. Numerous studies show that lecithin can help prevent such irritation and even assist the anti-inflammatory effects of painkillers.

REASON #5:

GET THE BEST SOURCE OF CHOLINE

You can supplement choline separately, but you may not want to. "Choline salts have been known to produce an offensive, fishy body odor," says Wright. However, when found in lecithin, choline provides a timed-release, highly bioavailable source. "This property is especially important for cellular growth and physical performance."

REASON #6:

PREVENT A HOST OF HEALTH PROBLEMS CAUSED BY CHOLINE DEFICIENCY

Choline is an essential nutrient, meaning your body doesn't produce enough of it naturally to fend off such maladies as abnormal kidney function, liver cancer, reduced production of blood cells (which limits your body's ability to transport oxygen via hemoglobin to your working muscles) and hypertension.

REASON #7:

ENHANCE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

If you don't get enough choline, you may be limiting your chances of having children. Choline deficiency has been found to cause infertility, and studies published in Human Reproduction and Journal of Andrology showed that lecithin supplements restored function in abnormal sperm cells and enhanced the ability of sperm to enter and fertilize an egg. Choline just might be the difference in whether your sperm cells sink or swim.