Sunflower Lecithin 1200mg | 100 or 200 Softgels | NOW Foods

Sunflower Lecithin 1200mg by NOW Foods

You may know lecithin from the ingredients list of chocolate or margarine. But you can also take it as a supplement. These softgels from NOW Foods each contain 1200mg of sunflower lecithin, extracted from sunflower seeds instead of soy. Two softgels per day provide a total of 2400mg of lecithin, of which 360mg is phosphatidylcholine. Interesting if you prefer to avoid soy.

What lecithin exactly is

Lecithin is not a single substance, but a mixture of fatty substances called phospholipids (fats with a phosphate group attached, allowing them to hold both water and fat). The best-known of these is phosphatidylcholine. It also contains phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, and some regular fatty acids. Phospholipids are the building blocks of every cell membrane in your body. They arrange themselves in a double layer, with the water-loving side facing outwards and the fat-loving side facing inwards. This forms the flexible envelope of your cells. Your body produces them itself, and you get them through eggs, organ meats, nuts, seeds, and legumes.

Phosphatidylcholine and choline in these softgels

Many people wonder why phosphatidylcholine specifically is listed on the label. The difference lies in the choline attached to it. Phosphatidylcholine is your body's most important source of choline. In these softgels, the daily dose provides 360mg of phosphatidylcholine, about 15 percent of the lecithin. Good to know: that is a different figure than the amount of choline itself. Choline makes up only about 13 percent of the weight of phosphatidylcholine. That is why you read phosphatidylcholine on the bottle and not choline on its own.

How lecithin keeps fat and water together

The special thing about phospholipids is that they have two sides. One side likes water, the other likes fat. Because of this, they can surround fat droplets and keep them suspended in water, just as lecithin in chocolate ensures that cocoa butter and sugar remain properly mixed. Your body uses exactly the same principle. Your bile, the fluid your liver produces and your gallbladder stores, consists largely of lecithin. Together with bile acids, it breaks down large fat droplets from your meal into tiny little balls, so that enzymes can access them better. In short: everywhere fat and water meet in your body, lecithin plays a role as a mediator. That makes it one of the most common substances in your body, even though you rarely hear about it.

Sunflower or soy, what is the difference

Most lecithin in the supermarket and in supplements comes from soy. Sunflower lecithin is the alternative for those who prefer to leave soy aside, for example due to an allergy or because soy is often genetically modified. In terms of composition, they are very similar. Sunflower lecithin contains slightly less phosphatidylinositol and slightly more phosphatidylcholine than many soy variants. In addition, sunflower lecithin is often extracted without chemical solvents such as hexane, through mechanical pressing. By the way: the label states that the softgels are made in a facility where soy is also processed. In the case of a severe soy allergy, that is something to take into account. The softgel itself is made of beef gelatin and glycerol, with a little extra virgin olive oil as a carrier.

What you have with this bottle in hand is clear: lecithin from sunflower, 1200mg per softgel, in a package of 100 or 200 pieces. With two softgels per day, you have fifty or a hundred days' worth. The small bottle is a good introduction if you want to try lecithin in your daily routine for the first time, the large bottle is convenient if lecithin is already a regular staple.