Comprised of both choline and inositol, lecithin is a fatty product that plays pivotal roles in the overall health and integrity of cellular membranes. Nearly 30 percent of the brain’s dry weight is composed of lecithin. Lecithin also represents nearly 70 percent of fat located within the liver. Lecithin is an essential nutrient, which is vital to many basic biological processes. The production of bile, and transportation of both fats and cholesterol, remain among lecithin’s more important physiological roles.

In actuality, the term lecithin has two separate meanings. Its varying definitions are strictly dependant on the nutrient’s method of preparation. When it is used commercially, “lecithin” refers to a complex mixture of neutral and polar lipids. When lecithin is used chemically, it is defined as a purified form of phosphatidyl choline (PC). Nutritional supplements labeled as “lecithin” contain approximately 20 percent phosphatidyl choline.

As mentioned, lecithin, or phosphatidyl choline, is vital for many critical cell functions. Tasks such as energy production within the cell, intracellular communication, signal transduction, and information transfer from DNA to RNA proteins, are all solely dependant on adequate levels of phosphatidyl choline. This has proved to be of great relevance, as various physical and neurological disorders are thought to be associated with the damage to specific cellular membranes.

PC may also be metabolized into choline, fatty acids, and/or glycerol. Choline is the precursor to acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter responsible for normal brain functioning. Because of choline’s neurological importance, it is considered critical in the brain development of infants, and may be essential in adults during periods of illness, injury, or stress as well. This may provide an explanation as to why lecithin is often referred to as “brain food.”