phosphatidylcholine

Generality

Phosphatidylcholine is a phospholipid known and studied for a very long time, as it is abundantly represented in nature and introduced daily through various foods (soy lecithin, liver and egg yolk are particularly rich).

Phosphatidylcholine consists of a phosphate group, 2-fatty acids and choline, a precursor of acetylcholine. Having a hydrophilic head and two lipophilic tails it enjoys amphipathic properties.

The nutritional role of phosphatidylcholine is very important, so much so that it is abundantly used in the food industry (as an emulsifying agent) and dietetic (as a useful supplement to lower cholesterol and promote liver and brain efficiency).

In the human body, phosphatidylcholine represents one of the main components of the plasma membrane, of which it regulates fluidity, integrity and permeability.

His biological activities have attracted particular interest both in the clinical setting, as a hepato- and neuro-protective agent, and in aesthetic medicine as a possible mesotherapeutic remedy for the treatment of localized fat deposits.

Indications

Why is Phosphatidylcholine used? What is it for?

Phosphatidylcholine is the main product of normal Choline metabolism.

As a phospholipid, it is part of the normal constitution of cell membranes, thus regulating the cell-cell and cell-matrix network.

This type of activity is fundamental in controlling the normal activities of different organs and systems.

In light of its biological role, the correct intake of phosphatidylcholine has proved useful:

In preserving the correct liver function, protecting the liver from numerous pathological conditions, both acute as hepatitis and chronic as fibrosis;
In controlling the clinical course of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease;
In assisting some anticancer therapies, as observed in recent evidence;
In improving pathological conditions such as dyskinesias;
In treating skin blemishes and localized fat deposits, if used through mesotherapy.

Property and Effectiveness

What benefit has Phosphatidylcholine shown during the studies?

The clinical utility of phosphatidylcholine has been widely described in various papers.

Phosphatidylcholine and liver

In numerous studies, both experimental and clinical, phosphatidylcholine would have been an excellent hepatoprotective agent.

This activity would be due both to the ability to supply adequate quantities of Choline, known for its antioxidant activity, and to a direct hepatoprotective action of phospholipids.

This activity was recorded both in the course of viral hepatitis, in which a possible antiviral action would appear to be added, and in the course of chronic diseases.

Phosphatidylcholine and dyskinesia

Soy Lecithin Granules: Particularly rich source of phosphatidylcholine

Tardive dyskinesia is a neurological disorder characterized by a defect in the normal neurological activity of the cholinergic system.

According to preliminary evidence, the use of both choline and phosphatidylcholine would seem to actively improve the ongoing symptoms, delaying complications.

Phosphatidylcholine and neurological pathologies

Particularly interesting would be the results published by some papers, in which the adequate use of Phosphatidylcholine in patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease would have led to the appearance of some improvements, such as that of short-term memory.

This activity could be traced back to the ability of Phosphatidylcholine to protect nerve cells from the damaging action of free radicals and the Beta-Amyloid protein, more expressed in this pathology.

Phosphatidylcholine and hypercholesterolemia

Several studies have shown the usefulness of Phosphatidylcholine in reducing blood cholesterol concentrations by acting directly on the enzyme Lecithin Cholesterol Acyl-Transferase (LCAT), involved in the elimination of cholesterol from tissues.

This activity could further support the hypothesis of a potential cardioprotective role of phosphatidylcholine.

Phosphatidylcholine and cellulite

The use of Phosphatidylcholine in the treatment of localized adiposity is quite recent.

Intra-adipose injection, through mesotherapeutic techniques (lipodissolve), of Phosphatidylcholine and other active ingredients, such as Carnitine, would have proved to be particularly effective in the treatment of localized fat deposits, not very responsive to dietary treatment.

Despite the low invasiveness of the procedure, characterized to the maximum by the appearance of local phlogistic reactions linked to the injection technique, the use of Phosphatidylcholine as a mesotherapeutic remedy is contraindicated in children under age, pregnant or lactating women, in complicated diabetics, in infectious patients patients immunosuppressed or allergic to soy and in the presence of liver failure, renal failure, obesity, coagulation disorders and / or menstrual changes.

Doses and method of use

How to use Phosphatidylcholine

Classically the range of phosphatidylcholine most used in studies is between 3 and 9 g per day, divided into several assumptions.

Phosphatidylcholine is present in supplements in the form of:

Lecithins, with percentages of Phosphatidylcholine ranging from 20 to 30%;
Capsules containing 55 or 90% of Phosphatidylcholine.

Side effects

Despite the general good tolerability of phosphatidylcholine, sometimes, following its use, the appearance of nausea, diarrhea and increased salivation was observed.