Phosphatidylcholine Basics
Our goal in writing these blogs is to give you some real-life tips that can move your health forward. Today we are talking about the cell membrane, and nothing is more fundamental to your overall health than the health of your cell membranes.
Cell Membrane Health is Fundamental
To make this as simple as possible, the cell membranes is like your cell membrane's security system. It controls what stays in and what doesn't get in. Nutrients and oxygen have to get in and metabolic waste products and toxins will have to leave for the cell to remain healthy.
The primary component of the cell membrane is a class of molecules called phospholipids. One of those key phospholipids is phosphatidylcholine (PC).
Phosphatidylcholine and Your Cells
Your cell membranes can also be made of other types of lipids. Your body will use whatever it has available to maintain and repair these membranes. Your body will even insert fat-soluble toxins if that is what is available at the time. This is why we strongly oppose having trans fats in the diet as these basically clog up the system as they become integrated into the membrane.
Surface Active Agents (Surfactant)
The surfactant, PC in the mucous membranes of the respiratory and digestive systems make is possible for us to be alive. Surfactants help bridge two different states of matter like liquids and gasses or between a solid and a liquid. Having PC in the membranes makes it easier for oxygen to be dissolved into the lungs and for nutrients to be absorbed in the digestive system.
Much has been written about the positive effects of increasing PC to help with conditions like ulcerative cholitis and other intestinal inflammation conditions.
Also note that supplementing with PC can supply the choline group to help increase the synthesis of acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter important in blood flow regulation and memory formation).
Phosphatidylcholine and Methylation
The liver uses methylation to change a molecule from fat soluble to water soluble to aid in elimination. Methylation just means adding a methyl group (CH3). Because choline contains 3 methyl groups, this is one of the primary sources the liver can use to remove potentially toxic compounds from the body.
Common sources of dietary phosphatidycholine are in order of concentrations:
Eggs, liver, soy, chicken, beef, peanuts, cod, spinach, potatoes, carrots, apples and milk.
Phosphatidylcholine supplements are often soy based but can be sunflower based. If you have a soy sensitivity you will want to read the label and choose the sunflower version.
Lecithin
Phosphatidylcholine is sometimes referred to as lecithin and some lecithin products might be mostly PC. Lecithin can also have phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidic acid and that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
A few options at OVitaminPro.com for supplementation are:
BodyBio PC (phosphatidylcholine)
Pure Encapsulations Phosphatidylcholine (sunflower derived)