LECITHIN, AS A FOOD ADDITIVE, IS ALSO A DIETARY SOURCE OF SEVERAL ACTIVE COMPOUNDS: CHOLINE AND ITS METABOLITES ARE NEEDED FOR SEVERAL PHYSIOLOGICAL PURPOSES, INCLUDING CELL MEMBRANE SIGNALING AND CHOLINERGIC NEUROTRANSMISSION, AND IS A MAJOR SOURCE FOR METHYL GROUPS VIA ITS METABOLITE, TRIMETHYLGLYCINE (BETAINE). PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE OCCURS IN ALL CELLULAR ORGANISMS, BEING ONE OF THE MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE PHOSPHOLIPID PORTION OF THE CELL MEMBRANE. WHILE LECITIHIN IS ALSO A RICH SOURCE OF A VARIETY OF TYPES OF DIETARY FATS, THE SMALL AMOUNTS OF LECITHIN TYPICALLY USED FOR FOOD ADDITIVE PURPOSES MEAN IT IS NOT A SIGNIFICANT SOURCE OF FATS. LECITHIN ALSO STRENGTHENS LIVER. LECITHIN HELPS DECREASE THE BUILD UP OF FATS WITHIN THE LIVER. LECITHIN IS ALSO A KEY COMPONENT OF BILE, AND IF LECITHIN LEVEL IS TOO LOW, IT WILL TRIGGER GALL STONE FORMATION. LECITHIN IS USED TO: HELP SUPPORT LIVER FUNCTION. BLUMENTHAL M, GOLDBERG A, BRINCKMANN J, EDITORS. HERBAL MEDICINE: EXPANDED COMMISSION E MONOGRAPHS. BOSTON (MA): INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE COMMUNICATIONS; 2000. CANTY DJ, ZEISEL SH. 1994. LECITHIN AND CHOLINE IN HUMAN HEALTH AND DISEASE. NUTRITION REVIEWS. 52(10):327-339 HEALTH CANADA 2005: HEALTH CANADA. ADDITION OF VITAMINS AND MINERALS TO FOODS: HEALTH CANADA'S PROPOSED POLICY AND IMPLEMENTATION PLANS. OTTAWA (ON): HEALTH CANADA; 2005. AVAILABLE FROM:HTTP://WWW.HC-SC.GC.CA/FN-AN/ALT_FORMATS/HPFB-DGPSA/PDF/NUTRITION/FORITFICATION_FINAL_DOC_E.PDF HEALTH CANADA 2009. CANADIAN NUTRIENT FILE (CNF). AVAILABLE FROM: HTTP://WEBPROD.HC-SC.GC.CA/CNF-FCE/SERVING-PORTION.DO?LANG=ENG&ID=442 IOM 1998: INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE. PANEL ON FOLATE, OTHER B VITAMINS, AND CHOLINE AND SUBCOMMITTEE ON UPPER REFERENCE LEVELS OF NUTRIENTS, AND THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE SCIENTIFIC EVALUATION OF DIETARY REFERENCE INTAKES, FOOD AND NUTRITION BOARD, INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE. DIETARY REFERENCE INTAKES FOR THIAMIN, RIBOFLAVIN, NIACIN, VITAMIN B6, FOLATE, VITAMIN B12, PANTOTHENIC ACID, BIOTIN AND CHOLINE. WASHINGTON (DC): NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS; 1998. IOM 2006: INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE. OTTEN JJ, PITZI HELLWIG J, MEYERS LD, EDITORS. INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE. DIETARY REFERENCE INTAKES: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS. WASHINGTON (DC): NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS; 2006. NLM 2009: UNITED STATES NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE. CHEMIDPLUS ADVANCED [ONLINE]. CHEMICAL NAME. RN: 000-00-0. BETHESDA (MD): SPECIALIZED INFORMATION SERVICES, UNITED STATES NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES. AVAILABLE FROM: HTTP://TOXNET.NLM.NIH.GOV/CGI-BIN/SIS/HTMLGEN?CHEM SHILS ME, OLSON JA, SHIKE M, ROSS AC, CABALLERO B, COUSINS RJ, EDITORS. MODERN NUTRITION IN HEALTH AND DISEASE, 10TH EDITION. PHILADELPHIA (PA): LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS; 2006. USP 32 : UNITED STATES PHARMACOPEIAL CONVENTION. 2009. UNITED STATES PHARMACOPEIA AND THE NATIONAL FORMULARY (USP 32 - NF 27). ROCKVILLE (MD): THE UNITED STATES PHARMACOPEIAL CONVENTION. WHO 1974. WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. JOINT FAO/WHO EXPERT COMMITTEE ON FOOD ADDITIVES. TOXICOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF SOME FOOD ADDITIVES INCLUDING ANTICAKING AGENTS, ANTIMICROBIALS, ANTIOXIDANTS, EMULSIFIERS AND THICKENING AGENTS: LECITHIN. WHO FOOD ADDITIVES SERIES NO. 5 GENEVA (CHE): WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. AVAILABLE AT: HTTP://WWW.INCHEM.ORG/DOCUMENTS/JECFA/JECMONO/V05JE42.HTM This page is not intended to be a comprehensive review of the medicinal ingredient.