What Is Soy Lecithin? Benefits and Risks!

In this article I'm going to answer the question what is soy lecithin and I'm going to share how it is used. Have you ever seen this substance in a mayonnaise, salad dressings or chocolate? One of the ways soy lecithin is used is to enable water and oil to mix better. With chocolate is used to create a better texture, so its appearance is more pleasing to the eye. The second use of this substance is to extend shelf life, so a product can last longer without spoiling. Also it's used to reduce sticking. In fact if you look at the ingredients of a cooking spray there is a good chance soy lecithin will be one of the ingredients. It's also used in bread dough to help make it easier to work with, and cake mixes.Now you know why companies put this ingredient in various food products let's talk about what it does to the human body. According to the NYU Langone Medical Center it is likely safe to consume and the biggest risk is taking too much of it. If someone takes several grams of it they could experience a stomach ache, nausea and diarrhea.One of the problems with soy lecithin is that it's a soy product. Over 90% of soy products in the United States are genetically modified. There is some debate on whether genetically modified organisms or GMO for short is unhealthy. One solid piece of evidence that it is unhealthy is the fact many countries have banned the substance. Right now there are over 26 countries that have banned GMO's including Germany, Australia and Russia. The second piece of evidence that it is unhealthy is that there are some studies that show it to harm health.


In one study published in the Journal Organic Systems scientists took a group of pigs and gave them either a diet of food with GMO's or food that with no GMO's in it for 23 weeks. The result was that the pigs that ate a diet of GMO's experienced more severe stomach inflammation and a 25% heavier uterus.There is some good news to soy lecithin and that is that it can provide some benefits. It has an ingredient known as choline. This is one reason why some dietary supplements contain it. It isn't proven, but there is a link with a choline deficiency and memory loss. This does make sense because it has a role in the creation of cell membranes and being used in nerve signals. There is also a link that if someone doesn't have enough choline in their body they have an increased risk of liver damage.To sum everything up soy lecithin is used to make water and oil mix better. It can extend the shelf life of certain products and to reduce sticking. The big danger with it is there could be some negative effects if someone takes too much. Also if it's made with GMO's there could be negative health consequences. A few of the benefits of this substance is that it can reduce the chance of memory problems and liver damage.