Essential PC Lipids are Vital
Building Block for Wellness
Like bricks
in a wall, cell membranes act as barriers to protect each cell and organelle in
the human body, maintaining cellular structure, function, and co-operation.
Without membranes, cells, tissues, and organs cannot be formed, and life on
earth would not be possible. Unfortunately, unhealthy choices (i.e., bad fats,
processed sugar products, amino acid deficiencies, dehydration) essentially
starves cell membranes and they once pliable and permeable building blocks
become as stiff and impenetrable as real bricks. When cells are no longer able
do their job of exchanging nutrients, transferring oxygen, and eliminating
waste, health and well-being is replaced with disease.
To help
keep membranes in shape, phosphatidylcholine (PC) is vital cell-exchange
nourishment. PC is the key phospholipid (fatty acid) comprising the
double-layer of the cell's hydrophobic (water-repellent) layer. The cell
membrane is comprised of a hydrophobic double-layer of cells, surrounded by a
hydrophilic (water-friendly) layer on top and bottom.
This is called a phospholipid bi-layer, making the cell generally impermeable to
water-soluble molecules, except in select receptor areas of the membrane.
The primary
active ingredient of PC is 1,2 dilinoleoylphosphatidylcholine, or DLPC, and
it's the predominant and most essential phospholipid to enhance membrane function.
It is estimated that the human liver alone consists of 300 billion hepatocytes
(liver cells), with a total cellular and sub-cellular surface area equal to
approximately 355,000 square feet. As prominent and essential a part as PC
plays in human life, it is surprisingly vulnerable. Therefore, it is critical
to supplement with PC in order to form, proliferate, and regenerate cell
membranes as well as to enhance membrane-dependent metabolism.
What makes Phosphatidylcholine?
Over 1,000
experimental and clinical investigations clearly demonstrate that PC and most
importantly DLPC significantly improve membrane-dependent functions (i.e.,
enzyme activities) and are indispensable building blocks for life and total
wellness.
Common Areas of Application
The Liver
The liver
is the key biochemical factory in our body, responsible for most of the
synthesis, metabolism, excretion, and detoxification necessary to live. Chronic
damage to the hepatocytes leads to the formation of fibrotic (thickened or
fibrous) tissue, which can eventually lead to cirrhosis (liver disease).
PC's cell protective effect has been
corroborated in at least 140 studies, with chemical substance, medication,
alcohol, and radiation (all known to play a role in causing liver disease)
overload being some of the cases examined. More than 200 trials have been
performed, showing PC supplementation helped accelerate improvement or
normalization of subjective symptoms, improve cell health, and shortened a
hospital stay.
The Blood Vessels
PC
positively influences various biochemical pathways related to atherosclerosis, such
as lipid peroxidation and lipoprotein alterations. Other results include
improved cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL-to-HDL ratios, and a reduction in
atherosclerotic plaque formation. Excessive blood clotting is also reduced, and
blood flow properties and microcirculation are improved.
Memory
It is well
known that low choline levels, an unsaturated fatty acid (
avocado, nuts, olive
oil, etc.) deficiency
and increased rigidity of neuronal membranes may influence metabolic processes
and nerve function, leading to memory loss and concentration disturbances. It's
been shown that upon long-term PC use aids the brain with such problems.
Diabetes
Although PC
does not directly influence sugar levels, it protects pancreatic beta-cells
against oxidative stress, acts as an anti-fibrogenic agent, helps treat
metabolic syndrome by improving lipid levels through delaying and inhibiting
diabetes-associated vascular processes, and improves clinical symptoms, such as
myocardial infarction.
Gastrointestinal Tract
Scientific
research has been able to determine that PC has an affinity for the gastric and
intestinal mucosa, which likely has a therapeutic effect on those tissues. It
is interesting to see that the positive influence of the polyunsaturated PC on
local biochemical mediators, lipid peroxidation, and collagen deposition is
extended to the gastrointestinal tract. Studies show that PC helps protect the
gastrointestinal mucosa against stress ulcer formation, NSAID-induced
inflammation, and colitis.
Skin and
Aging
Skin and
other membranes change composition during the aging process, as more
cholesterol and less PC with polyunsaturated fatty acids (i.e., soybeans) are
incorporated into the membranes. They frequently become more rigid, partly
recognized as wrinkles. PC increases membrane flexibility, encouraging cells to
become more active again.
