Talk:Lecithin
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[edit] Egg Allergy
My son has an egg allergy and drank a malt that had lecithin as a component of the malted. He vomited about 10 minutes later and stated that he could taste egg in the malt initially (he can usually tell if a product has any egg, even if it's in minute amounts) and that his stomach had been hurting after drinking it. He is 5 and he liked the taste of the malt, so he drank the whole thing and never said anything to us. I could not figure out what caused this until I ran across this article. It sounds as if the lecithin must have been egg based. A similar (but worse) reaction occurred with albumin (also not marked as egg containing on the ingredient list). The article could use an allergy section mentioning the likelihood of egg being in the product. I will return to add that information if time allows. --206.72.66.29 (talk) 20:47, 7 June 2008 (UTC)Todd
[edit] Lecitin in health
I have edited some of the content, some health related subjects were wrong, lecitin (PC) DOES inprove cholesterol and TG in mamals (mice), it is also indicated for fat pulmonary embolism, but I am too tired to research the references just now. There are also some studies aiminga at using Lecithin as a injection to obtain fat reduction in aesthetic clinics, but it is not yet proven to be harmless (the basic underlying alteration seems to be fat tissue necrosis). RogerioLuz (talk) 07:10, 10 March 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Phosphatidylcholine (PC) needs its own page.
Phosphatidylcholine has its own page. Unfree (talk) 08:35, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
[edit] What Claims Do Lecithin Supplement Suppliers Make About Lecithin's Functions?
This section really does not belong in an encyclopedia, at least not in its present form, which is more like a debate article or something. Moreover, it has its own section of references separate from the rest of the article.
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Is lecithin ever made from grains (wheat, barley, etc) or is it only made from egg yolks or soy beans?
- I believe lecithin is extracted from egg yolks or soy beans because these tissues are relatively concentrated sources of lethicin. I suspect that it is present in other tissues but is not considered commercially practical to purify it from these tissues. ike9898 14:04, July 28, 2005 (UTC)
As you stated, the main sources of lecithin are egg yolks, soy beans and sunflower seeds. Indeed, this is due to the relatively high lecithin content (crude soy oil ans sunflower oil contain approx 2% lecithin). Soy as well as sunflowers are grown mainly for their high oil content. Grains are grown for other purposes, as they do not contain large amounts of oil. Evenmore, the oil from grains contains only small amounts of lecithin. This makes it an economically unattractive source of lecithins.Robbeltman 19:19, 6 November 2005 (UTC)
Can lecithin make you thinner?
Lecithins have a chemical structure which is very similar to fats (triglycerides), and have a energetic value very close to fats. It will not make you thinner.Robbeltman 19:19, 6 November 2005 (UTC)
- I think that's true if you eat lecithin with a spoon; but the lecithin may affect in other ways the metabolism. I'm removing that paragraph from the article.
GeoAtreides 07:32, 30 September 2006 (UTC)
What are the true effects of this on skin?
[edit] "Virtually" non-toxic
What is meant by *virtually* non-toxic to humans?
Lecithin taken at the end of a night (or day) of drinking will ease many hangover symptoms
I believe any fat would ease hangover symptoms. Alcohol goes directly across the cell membrane(by diffusion?) and can eventually destroy the cell. I bet fat like molecules have a role in this. Anyone with some biochemistry skills around? --207.216.251.85 00:18, 31 January 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Soya Lecitithin tablets
I saw a bottle of Soya Lecithin pills at the supermarket the other day. Seems relevant to the article. If someone could snap a picture it'd be useful. Scott Ritchie 20:55, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
[edit] Lecithin and phosphatidylcholine
The article states that Lecithin is a synonym for phosphatidylcholine, while this may be true in biochemistry references, phosphatidylcholine is only the major component of commercial lecithin, which also containd phosphatidylinosotol, phosphatidylserine, linoeic acid, as well as other components
The attached picture appears to show the molecule as being C44H84NO8P or 1,2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine (Dioleoyl lecithin). The is _a_ phosphatidylcholine molecule, altough is the base phosphatidylcholine not C12H24NO7P ? I understand that phosphatidylcholine can attach to two fatty acids, which I assume creates distinct molecules which are all classified as phosphatidylcholines. If somebody could please clarify this subject.
[Regarding paragraph above: actually one can see that there is a cis double bond on one of the acyl chains and not on the other, so in fact is is not DOPC but SOPC since a saturated oleoyl is a stearoyl (1-Stearoyl-2-Oleoyl-sn-Glycero-3-Phosphocholine).] http://www.avantilipids.com/Phosphatidylcholine.asp
[edit] sharia
Why is lecithin restricted under sharia? Could someone add the reason to the article?
[edit] Removed Essay-Like Intercalation
I removed all of the out of place content in the middle of the article. I also removed the tags, which I assumed were in reference to the inserted content. The article looks much better now. If you feel this edit was to drastic please revert. JohnJohn 19:33, 7 October 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Plagiarism
Parts of the text seem to come from here: http://www.1001herbs.com/lecithin/ —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 203.126.186.36 (talk) 07:59, 8 December 2006 (UTC).
[edit] A should statement???
The article includes this sentence:
"There is no general agreement among vegetarians concerning egg-derived lecithin, but vegans especially should try to avoid consuming it."
A neutral informational statement that some lecithins are derived from eggs, and are thus outside what the strictest vegetarians eat, might be appropriate.
A statement telling any group of people what they should do is completely inappropriate for an encyclopedia article.Daqu 20:20, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
[edit] spattering
"In margarines, especially those containing high levels of fat (>75%), lecithin is added as an 'anti-spattering' agent: it helps in suppressing spattering during shallow frying."
Who fries with margarine? This is one of those weird ideas that makes me think it's a cheap bulking agent. industry jargon
- I avoid margarine, but most people, I assume, don't. Toss a pat of it in a hot frying pan, and of course it would be nice if it didn't spatter too much. What's "weird" about that? Lecithin certainly can't be considered a "bulking agent," since it's high in calories, and probably more expensive than the oils it's added to. Unfree (talk) 09:39, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Kosher status
Lecithin may or may not be kosher, depending on what it is derived from and how. See [1] .
Also, regardless of other concerns, soy-derived lecithin would certainly not be kosher for Passover. It is kitniyos.
71.130.168.34 05:23, 7 June 2007 (UTC)rivka
- I believe that's a matter of controversy, Rivka. Kitniyos foods have been marketed as kosher for Passover, and the definitions of both vary among strains of Judaism. Unfree (talk) 09:30, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
- According the orthodox tradition, Ashkenazic Jews consider beans to be non-Kosher for Passover, while Sephardic Jews regard beans as Kosher for Passover. summguy1 (talk) 15:21, 3 April 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Why the biochemistry bias?
I've heard that lecithin is an important industrial commodity used in making plastics and paints. Is nobody able to provide any information about common, commercial-grade lecithin and its uses? Also, I'd like to see which foods are good sources of lecithins and the distinctions among them. Unfree (talk) 08:26, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
