Lecithin

Lecithin is a fat that can be found in many foods like soybeans and egg yolks. It is also known as Egg Lecithin, Lecitina, Ovolecithin, Soy Lecithin, Soy Phospholipid, Soybean Lecithin, Vegilecithin, Vitellin, Vitelline, and other names.

Lecithin has been used in alternative medicine as a possibly effective aid in treating liver disease.

Lecithin has also been used to treat gallbladder disease, dementia related to Alzheimer's disease, age related loss of memory, and head injuries. However, research has shown that lecithin may not be effective in treating these conditions.

Other uses not proven with research have included high cholesterol, manic-depressive disorder, dermatitis, improvement of athletic performance, Parkinson's disease, stress, insomnia, and other conditions.

It is not certain whether lecithin is effective in treating any medical condition. Medicinal use of this product has not been approved by the FDA. Lecithin should not be used in place of medication prescribed for you by your doctor.

Lecithin is often sold as an herbal supplement. There are no regulated manufacturing standards in place for many herbal compounds and some marketed supplements have been found to be contaminated with toxic metals or other drugs. Herbal/health supplements should be purchased from a reliable source to minimize the risk of contamination.

Lecithin may also be used for purposes not listed in this product guide.

When considering the use of herbal supplements, seek the advice of your doctor. You may also consider consulting a practitioner who is trained in the use of herbal/health supplements.

If you choose to use lecithin, use it as directed on the package or as directed by your doctor, pharmacist, or other healthcare provider. Do not use more of this product than is recommended on the label.

Do not use different formulations of lecithin (such as tablets, liquids, and others) at the same time, unless specifically directed to do so by a health care professional. Using different formulations together increases the risk of an overdose.

Call your doctor if the condition you are treating with lecithin does not improve, or if it gets worse while using this product.

Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

Consult your pharmacist.

Consult your pharmacist.

Keep a list of all your medications with you, and share the list with your doctor and pharmacist.

If someone has overdosed and has serious symptoms such as passing out or trouble breathing, call 911. Otherwise, call a poison control center right away. US residents can call their local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. Canada residents can call a provincial poison control center.

Notes

Missed Dose

Consult your pharmacist.

Storage

Consult your pharmacist.

Do not flush medications down the toilet or pour them into a drain unless instructed to do so. Properly discard this product when it is expired or no longer needed. Consult your pharmacist or local waste disposal company for more details about how to safely discard your product.

Information last revised July 2016. Copyright(c) 2016 First Databank, Inc.

Lecithin is a phospholipid mixture of acetone insoluble phosphatides consisting mainly of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl serine, phosphatidyl inositol combined with various other substances including fatty acids and carbohydrates. 4 Lecithin is the common name for a series of related compounds called phosphatidylcholines. 5 Lecithin is defined chemically as a mixture of the diglycerides of stearic, palmitic, and oleic acids, linked to the choline ester of phosphoric acid (eg, soybean lecithin contains 4% stearic, 11.7% palmitic, 9.8% oleic acids, along with others). Lecithins also contain phosphorous and nitrogenous (eg, choline) compounds. 5

Physical properties of lecithin can vary depending upon acid value. It is a waxy mass at acid value 20 and a thick pourable fluid at acid value 30. The color is white when freshly made but turns yellow to brown in air. It is an edible and digestible surfactant and emulsifier. 2

Summary of Use during Lactation

Lecithin is a mixture of choline, choline esters, fatty acids, glycerol, glycolipids, triglycerides, phosphoric acid, and phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine that are normal components of human milk. Supplemental lecithin has been recommended as a treatment for plugged milk ducts,[1][2][3] and as an additive to human milk that is given to preterm infants via pumping through plastic tubing in order to prevent fat loss.[4] No scientifically valid clinical studies exist on the safety and efficacy of high-dose lecithin supplementation in nursing mothers or infants. Supplementation with one component of lecithin, phosphatidylcholine, increases choline, but not phosphatidylcholine concentrations in breastmilk and supplementation with choline increases choline metabolites, but not choline in breastmilk. Lecithin is usually well tolerated and is considered to be "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Dietary supplements do not require extensive pre-marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Manufacturers are responsible to ensure the safety, but do not need to prove the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements before they are marketed. Dietary supplements may contain multiple ingredients, and differences are often found between labeled and actual ingredients or their amounts. A manufacturer may contract with an independent organization to verify the quality of a product or its ingredients, but that does not certify the safety or effectiveness of a product. Because of the above issues, clinical testing results on one product may not be applicable to other products. More detailed information about dietary supplements is available elsewhere on the LactMed Web site.

Drug Levels

No published information was not found as of the revision date on milk levels of lecithin components following maternal supplementation. However, lecithin components are normally found in breastmilk as reported below.

Maternal Levels. A study of human milk from mothers of preterm (n = 17) and fullterm (n = 16) infants found several lecithin components, such as choline, phosphocholine, and phosphatidylcholine. Choline levels in fullterm milk were higher (116 micromoles/L) than in preterm milk (98 micromoles/L). Choline ester concentrations were not different between the two types of milk. Phosphatidylcholine choline levels were sightly higher (90 micromoles/L) than in fullterm milk (82 micromoles/L), but the difference was not statistically significant.[5]

Longitudinal analysis of human milk samples from 8 mothers found that choline levels increased from 110 micromoles/L during days 2 to 6 postpartum to 210 micromoles/L during days 7 to 22. Phosphatidylcholine increased from 70 micromoles/L to 100 micromoles/L over the same time periods.[6]

A study of 103 pregnant women measured the choline content of their milk through 45 days postpartum. Participants were given a daily supplement of 5400 mg of phosphatidylcholine (PhosChol brand) equal to 750 mg of choline (n = 48) or a placebo (n = 48). The daily dosage was divided equally between morning and evening. At 45 days postpartum, breastmilk choline concentrations were statistically different at 83 micromoles/L in the placebo group and 106 micromoles/L in the supplemented group. Phosphatidylcholine concentrations were not statistically different at 107 micromoles/L in the placebo group and 113 micromoles/L in the supplemented group.[7]

Lactating women were given either 480 or 930 mg of choline daily. Both doses increased the breastmilk content of the choline metabolites, phosphocholine, glycerophosphocholine, glycine and trimethylamine oxide.[8] Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date. Reported Side Effects In Breastfed Infants: Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.

Effects in Breastfed Infants

Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.

Effects on Lactation and Breastmilk

Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.

References

1. Lawrence RA. Breastfeeding: A guide for the medical profession, 2nd ed. C.V. Mosby. Saint Louis. 1985;203.

2. Scott CR. Lecithin: it isn't just for plugged milk ducts and mastitis anymore. Midwifery Today Int Midwife. 2005;26-7. PMID: 16419666

3. McGuire E. Case study: white spot and lecithin. Breastfeed Rev. 2015;23:23-5. PMID: 25906494

4. Chan MM, Nohara M, Chan BR et al. Lecithin decreases human milk fat loss during enteral pumping. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2003;36:613-5. PMID: 12717084

5. Holmes-McNary MQ, Chen WL, Mar MH et al. Choline and choline esters in human and rat milk and in infant formulas. Am J Clin Nutr. 1996;64:572-6. PMID: 8839502

6. Holmes HC, Snodgrass GJ, Iles RA. Changes in the choline content of human breast milk in the first 3 weeks after birth. Eur J Pediatr. 2000;159:198-204. PMID: 10664235

7. Fischer LM, da Costa KA, Galanko J et al. Choline intake and genetic polymorphisms influence choline metabolite concentrations in human breast milk and plasma. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010;92:336-46. PMID: 20534746

8. Davenport C, Yan J, Taesuwan S et al. Choline intakes exceeding recommendations during human lactation improve breast milk choline content by increasing PEMT pathway metabolites. J Nutr Biochem. 2015;26:903-11. PMID: 26025328

LactMed Record Number

864

Last Revision Date

20170411

Disclaimer

Information presented in this database is not meant as a substitute for professional judgment. You should consult your healthcare provider for breastfeeding advice related to your particular situation. The U.S. government does not warrant or assume any liability or responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the information on this Site.

Net Wt. 1.75 oz.