2009/10/30

Lose Weight with Lecithin

The key to burning body fat is in the speed of your metabolism. A faster metabolism enables the body to burn fat faster, which is why active children typically don't face weight issues. As we age, however, our metabolism slows down and it becomes more difficult to keep the extra pounds off. The question is: what can we do to put the life back into a sluggish metabolism?
The liver is the key organ for fat metabolism. Surprised? The liver has many functions. It is the main organ for detoxifying the pollutants and chemicals in the body. It also serves as glycogen storage, plasma protein synthesis and bile production, which is important in digestion. Bile, by the way, is also key to metabolizing the fats that are stored in the liver; it converts these fats into energy for the body to use.
While the connections between the liver, fat metabolism and eventual weight loss may seem remote at first, you can see that the implementation of lecithin brings all of these elements together.
Your Liver and Weight Loss
Many of us are constantly struggling with weight gain. It's an ongoing battle that some people spend a lifetime fighting. We endure yo-yo dieting, with our weight constantly going up and down. At the same time, we contend with sluggish metabolisms and unbridled cravings. In the end, hardly anything ever works.
Successful weight loss requires your ability to address the root of the problem, rather than constantly trying to tackle the symptoms. If you have a sluggish liver and congestion throughout your body, you'll feel certain fatigue and malaise. That's just a part of the problem.
Weight gain is often the result of poor liver function. When your liver is in poor health and unable to perform its basic functions, there is a very likely chance that the condition will result in weight gain. Excessive weight due to liver malfunction is often presented in the forms of cellulite, water retention and extra inches around the abdomen.
Bile
Secreting bile is one of the liver's main functions. Known also as gall, bile is a complex, bitter tasting, greenish-yellow alkaline fluid. This fluid contains water, electrolytes, and a host of organic molecules including bile acids, bilirubin, cholesterol and phospholipids (lecithin). Bile is a critical element in digestion and crucial to the metabolism and absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins. Many of the body's waste products are also excreted into the bile.
Lecithin is an important element of bile, acting as an emulsifier and antioxidant. It helps to disperse cholesterol and break it down into essential fatty acids. Lecithin has a phosphate group that makes it hydrophobic, allowing it to move away from water and the fluids surrounding molecules. It also has a lipophilic (fat-loving) head that moves toward the fats.
These characteristics allow lecithin to help stabilize the fatty acid molecules by forming a semi-permeable, lipophilic/hydrophobic ring around them. With this emulsifying action, bile is kept stable and the liver is able to perform its many functions, including cholesterol breakdown and fat metabolism.
Losing Weight with Lecithin
Over the years, since scientists first discovered the role that lecithin plays in fat and cholesterol metabolism in the liver, many researchers have studied the connection between lecithin and weight loss. If lecithin really contributes to weight loss, what evidence was there to prove that there is indeed a connection between weight loss and lecithin?
Many of the studies that have been conducted are unreported, but one investigation has shown some bearing on the connection between lecithin and weight loss. In this particular study, choline was found to be a component of phosphatidylcholine, which is one of the many names that scientists use to refer to lecithin. Choline, an essential nutrient in the human body, is able to break cholesterol into small particles, allowing them to be easily handled by the digestive system. When you have a sufficient intake of lecithin, cholesterol is not able to build up within the walls of your veins and arteries.
Lecithin's effect on the liver can increase metabolism and, as a result, decrease extra pounds. It's a beneficial compound commonly found in soy products and is also available as a supplement. Try adding lecithin to your healthy diet and exercise regime.

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