From: "Steve Harris" <SBHarris123@ix.netcom.com>
Newsgroups: sci.med.nutrition
Subject: Re: Lecithin?
Date: Fri, 11 May 2001 22:27:27 -0600

"Baron Blackfang" <WolfCave@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:dD2L6.3134$N23.284429@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
> Most alternative-medicine practioners recommend lecithin when using
> cholesterol-lowering drugs.  Lecithin has been proven to increase your
> HDL/LDL ratio by increasing the solubility of cholesterol and by
> decreasing the production of LDL.  Some patients have actually lowered
> their cholesterol with just a strict diet and lecithin.  Lecithin is the
> main phospholipid in soy products, and the FDA has already approved soy
> labeling as lowering cholesterol.

Bah. Lecithin will lower your LDL alright, but no more than an equal amount
of the polyunsaturated fat which is in lecithin.

So why not just eat the polyunsaturate oil?  Well for one thing, that's may
be a good way to get more cancer. In the infamous Wadsworth VA study they
succeeded in lowering the LDL of middle aged men by getting them to drink
corn oil, but they had the same death rate since the heart deaths were
replaced by cancer deaths. I suspect that taking that much lecithin (we're
talking a good fraction of an oz per day) would do the same.

SBH

From: "Steve Harris" <sbharris@ix.netcom.com>
Newsgroups: sci.med.nutrition
Subject: Re: Lecithin?
Date: Tue, 15 May 2001 11:28:56 -0700

Marcus E Engdahl wrote in message <9dr178$2rirc$5@midnight.cs.hut.fi>...
>In article <9die9l$pv2$1@slb0.atl.mindspring.net>,
>Steve Harris <SBHarris123@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>
>>Bah. Lecithin will lower your LDL alright, but no more than an equal
>>amount of the polyunsaturated fat which is in lecithin.
>
>How about the phosphatidylcholine in the lecithin, don't you think
>that might be beneficial?



There is no evidence for it.

....
>
>>I suspect that taking that much lecithin (we're
>>talking a good fraction of an oz per day) would do the same.
>
>Is one tablespoon (a few grams) a 'good fraction' of an ounce?

No. I'm talking about 20 grams a day or more. A teaspoon of
cornoil a day won't lower your cholesterol levels, and a teaspoon
of lecithin won't either.

SBH