Lecithin and Eczema

Lecithin is beneficial for eczema, and lecithin supplements are produced from soy or egg yolks. If you have a problem with soy, it's usually just the soy protein, so soy lecithin should be fine. See this video on that issue: ABC News Story: Are Soy Oil And Soy Lecithin Safe For My Soy-Allergic Child? Egg lecithin is not a concern for those on low-cholesterol diets; but, if not purified before being used as a food ingredient, it could significantly raise the overall cholesterol content of the food.

Lecithin is a fat like substance, or phospholipid, produced by every healthy liver and found in varying quantities in body cells and organs.  Nervous and circulatory lecithin is produced by the liver if the diet is adequate.  It is needed by every cell in the body and is a key building block of cell membranes; without it, they would harden.  Lecithin protects cells from oxidation.  There is an especially high concentration in the brain and around nerve sheaths.  Lecithin also helps to emulsify fats and contains the B vitamin choline, from which the body manufactures one of several nerve transmitters.

Lecithin is a natural anti-oxidant and a powerful nutritional factor. It is a rich source of gamma Linolenic acid (GLA) and has the highest phosphatide concentratil available (98% or more). It helps the body utilize vitamins A, D, E, and K and is excellent for memory, concentration, and recall. It cleanses the liver and kidneys and helps the body absorbs nutrients.

Essential fatty acid ("EFA") deficiency leads to impaired biliary excretion of lecithin. 1

How does the body distribute EFA's?  Fats are carried away by adding lecithin.  Lecithin is an emulsifier and allows oil and water, which normally don't mix, to mix quite readily. This is because one end of the lecithin molecule is water-soluble while the other is oil-soluble. It therefore forms an interface between water and oil.  In the liver, lecithin metabolizes fat. In the bloodstream, lecithin prevents fats from accumulating on the walls of arteries. In the intestinal tract, lecithin enhances the absorption of vitamins A, D, and possibly E and K. These are just a few of its many roles.

Articles of Interest

• Lecithin Benefits for the Skin (restoring skin moisture)
• Lecithin: Skin's Savior (helps bring oil and moisture together/treats lack of moisture)
• Duane Graveline MD MPH, Former USAF Flight Surgeon, Former NASA Astronaut Retired Family Doctor
  

Lecithin is also anti-stress food.

Lecithin can be taken in granular or liquid form.