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PHOSPHOLIPIDS, Nutrients for Life |
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by Parris M. Kidd, Ph.D.
PHOSPHOLIPIDS, Nutrients for Life
Versatile Nutraceuticals and Bioavailability Enhancers
All life functions depend on cells and all
cells depend on phospholipid nutrients
to conduct these functions.
Dietary phospholipids (PL pronounced fos-folip-
ids) support the healthy functioning of all
our cells and tissues. Thousands of experimental
and clinical studies validate their benefits
for the brain, liver, circulation, intestines and
other organ systems in people of all ages.
The cell is the most basic unit of life. From
the simplest to the most sophisticated, all cells
are built around molecular assemblies called
membranes. Cells rely on their membranes to
generate energy, manufacture complex biomolecules,
detoxify potentially harmful agents and
generally to conduct the thousands of processes
that amount to being alive. Phospholipids
are the major building blocks of all cell
membranes.
Phospholipids were indispensable to cell
membranes since the earliest beginnings of life.
Through their nutritional support for the
membrane system phospholipid nutrients
make possible homeostasis, the self-adjusting
maintenance of those physical and chemical
conditions necessary for life. Phospholipids’
essentiality for life at this “micro” level is
amplified at the “macro” level: the health of the
whole person.
Four types of phospholipid supplements are
currently available: 1. PS (Phosphatidyl
Serine), 2. GPC (Glycero Phospho Choline, a
pro-phospholipid), 3. PC (Phosphatidyl
Choline) and 4. mixtures of these with the
phospholipids PE (Phosphatidyl
Ethanolamine) and PI (Phosphatidyl Inositol).
When prepared at the appropriate level of
quality, these preparations pose no toxic threat
to the body and are extremely well tolerated.
The exemplary safety record of the phospholipids
is linked to their membership in that
elite class of nutrients known as “orthomolecules,”
next to the vitamins, the essential minerals
and the conditionally-essential nutrients.
Orthomolecules are substances naturally
present in the body’s cells, “molecules orthodox
to the body.” The late Professor Linus Pauling
developed this concept and predicted that
orthomolecules should be exceptional both for
their health benefits and for their lack of
toxicity even at high dietary intakes.
Various phospholipid preparations are
commercially available for anti-aging applications,
most specifically for the brain, liver, and
circulation. Numerous clinical trials validate
the benefits, safety and further clinical potential
of these preparations. They are produced
from soy and can be used separately or scientifically
combined to achieve the desired
effects.
PS Benefits Mood,
Stress Response in Healthy Youth
This double-blind trial was conducted at
the University of Wales in the United
Kingdom by Dr. D. Benton and colleagues
(Nutritional Science, 2001). Forty-eight male
university students, average age 20.8 years,
were randomly divided into a PS test group
(300 mg/day) and a placebo group (the placebo
was fats/triglycerides). Each student’s “baseline”
mood—how they felt over the previous
week—was assessed by questionnaire and a
mood score developed. Their personality was
also scored for “neuroticism” and “extroversion.”
Blood pressure, pulse and heart rate were
recorded using a continuous monitor. Each
subject was sent home with a 30-day supply of
PS or placebo at three capsules per day.
After 30 days of supplementation, the subjects
returned to the laboratory. They reported
their mood over the last week of supplementation.
They then faced a standard acute stress: a
hard mental arithmetic test, each calculation to
be done within four seconds without a calculator.
Increased heart rate during the test and the
students’ self-reports confirmed this test was in
fact stressful. After testing, their blood pressure
was recorded and their mood assessed.
The results showed that those students with
a more “neurotic” personality experienced significantly
less stress from the test if they were
taking PS. In sharp contrast, the “neurotics”
who received the placebo reported a highly significant
level of stress from the test. They also
experienced a highly significant worsening of
mood (p<0.001), significantly worse than their
counterparts who were on PS.
Individuals who score high on tests for neuroticism
are known to respond more poorly to
stress, and typically report more distress in
daily life. In this trial the “neurotics” who took
PS were not significantly stressed by the test.
Their mood also was stable; they scored significantly
better on feeling clear-headed, composed
and confident and they were judged better
able to deal with the mental arithmetic.
These findings that PS benefits stress (at
300 mg/day) are consistent with earlier doubleblind
trials in which PS at 800 mg/day significantly
lowered stress hormone levels in young
men subjected to stressful exercise exertion.
Although young women were not included in
this trial due to statistical considerations, there
is no apparent reason they would not benefit
similarly from PS. Elderly women with anxiety
and low mood benefited from PS in a doubleblind
trial.
This new trial is a particularly valuable contribution
to the clinical knowledge base on PS
because it was conducted in young adult subjects.
It suggests PS would be useful to that
considerable population of young people confronted
with the stressful challenges of living in
today’s world.
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PS (Phosphatidyl Serine)
PS (Phosphatidyl Serine, pronounced fos-fatie-
dil-see-reen) has been extensively researched
for the brain, the organ in which it occurs at
highest concentrations. Its benefits are firmly
established through double-blind trials, the
“gold standard” for verification of a nutrient
(or drug). Some 19 double-blind trials
unequivocally establish the benefits of PS for
brain functions such as concentration, learning
and memory, for improving mood and for coping
with stress. The bulk of this controlled PS
research involved subjects aged 50 or older, but
a growing body of data points to benefits from
PS for young adults and even children.
A newly-published double-blind trial indicates
soy PS helps young, healthy people cope
with the stresses of daily life.
PS may also be helpful to children with cognitive
and mood problems, as suggested by a
preliminary clinical study. Dr. C. A. Ryser, a
physician who routinely sees children with
attention deficit, hyperactivity and learning
problems, recruited 27 consecutive children with the informed consent of their parents. She
individualized their treatments with nutrients
and pharmaceuticals as per her usual practice,
then added PS into their treatment plans (at
200 or 300 mg per day, depending on their
body size) and followed them for four months.
Twenty-seven children ages 3–19 years old
completed the study.
Dr. Ryser found that PS gave marked, clinically
meaningful benefit to 25 of the 27 children.
One child experienced partial benefit and
in one other no clear benefit was observed. PS
improved attention, concentration, learning and
behavior and benefited academic performance.
PS also consistently benefited the depression and
anxiety commonly seen in these children.
In children who were prescribed pharmaceuticals
such as Ritalin (methylphenidate),
Adderall (mixed amphetamines) or Wellbutrin
(bupoprion), PS seemed to have additional
clinical benefit. PS also extended the benefit
experienced from nutritional supplementation
with fish oil or primrose oil. No adverse effects
or drug interactions were noted, consistent
with PS’s 20-year record of clinical use.
Such apparent clinical benefit to children
from PS is consistent with other PS breakthroughs
in memory conservation, brain revitalization
and stress management. The capacity
of PS to improve diverse measures of functional
nervous system performance has positioned
this phospholipid as the premier nutrient for
the brain.
GPC (Glycero Phospho Choline), Pro-Phospholipid
GPC (Glycero Phospho Choline, pronounced
gli-sero-fos-fo-ko-lean) is a pro-phospholipid
nutrient, lacking the fatty acid “tails” found on
typical phospholipid molecules. It is readily
absorbed by mouth and is a major metabolic
precursor for Phosphatidyl Choline (PC), the
most common phospholipid of cell membranes.
GPC provides homeostatic support for
phospholipid metabolism and membrane
function in all the cells of the body.
Like the phospholipids, GPC is an orthomolecule
found in all the body’s cells. GPC is a
precursor for the important nerve transmitter
acetylcholine (ACh) and also the most bioavailable
source of the essential nutrient choline. GPC in mother’s milk is a major source of
choline for the organs of the newborn child.
GPC has been the subject of a number of
controlled clinical trials. It benefits mental performance
in young subjects as well as the
middle-aged and elderly. GPC benefited
immediate recall and attention in a group of
young adult males (ages 19–38), as compared
against a control group given placebo. In middle-
aged subjects it benefited reaction time
and improved energy generation and electrical
coordination across the brain.
Double-blind trials conducted on older
subjects with brain decline clearly suggested
GPC had superior benefits over certain other
brain nutrients for mental focus, recall, verbal
fluency and overall enhancement of mental
performance. GPC also can help offset severe
impairment of memory and other cognitive
functions and improve emotional state, confusion,
apathy and interpersonal interaction.
As we humans reach middle age we are less
and less able to produce optimal quantities of
key hormones from the pituitary, the body’s
“master gland.” This is a central process underlying
aging. In studies which involved both
young and aging males, GPC successfully
enhanced the pituitary’s all-important capacity
to respond to hormone-releasing stimuli from
the brain. Further controlled trials will establish
the degree of GPC’s capacity to revitalize
the aging human.
The sophisticated functions of the human
brain are built on coordination between the
billions of nerve cells. The nerve cell membranes
generate and transmit an electrical signal
across the cell, then chemical transmitters
carry the electrical impulse in a specified direction
to other nerve cells. GPC is the most energy-
efficient source for synthesis of PC, a key
building block for the nerve cell membranes. It
is also a metabolic buffer substance for the
brain, helping to neutralize ion charge imbalances
and normalize abnormally high concentrations
of large biomolecules.
Another dimension of GPC’s importance
to brain vitality is its contribution to brain
integration via acetylcholine’s transmitter
action. GPC is found to improve EEG (electroencephalographic)
performance, a good
measure of brain integration, even in healthy
young subjects. GPC seems to help protect the
brain against gradual cognitive decline but also
to recoup functional losses which can result
from surgery or temporary oxygen starvation.
GPC has other benefits to the healthy
human that extend beyond the brain. As a
metabolic buffer it also protects against homeostatic
imbalances in the liver and kidneys as
well as in the brain. Being stable in the watery
compartments of all the cells, GPC is an
important phospholipid reservoir for all the
organs. Its availability facilitates the production
of new cell membrane mass as required
for tissue repair following damage, as well as
for normal growth and maintenance.
The many clinical trials conducted with
GPC combined with the requisite animal
testing prove it is safe to take and well tolerated.
As an orthomolecule, adverse interactions
of GPC with drugs are highly unlikely. Unlike
most phospholipid preparations, Lipoid brand
GPC has a pleasant taste and is stable in water.
With its extremely high bioavailability, this
product is ideally suited for drink formulations.
PC (Phosphatidyl Choline)
PC (Phosphatidyl Choline, pronounced fos-fatie-
dil-ko-lean) is the single most proven nutrient
for the support of liver function. The liver
is the workhorse organ of the body, with a total
cell membrane area approximating eight football
fields. This vast mass of membrane is
vulnerable to destruction by toxins coming in
with the foods or reaching the blood through
the skin or lungs. PC has exhibited lifesaving
potential in cases of toxic poisoning (including
from pharmaceuticals and deathcap mushrooms),
alcoholic liver damage and full-blown hepatitis.
PC is the single most important building
block for making replacement membrane mass
for the liver’s embattled cells. This versatile
phospholipid supplies another key constituent
for liver regeneration: methyl groups, which go
into many core metabolic pathways and support
gene and chromosome renewal. Therefore
PC has unparalleled importance for supporting
liver cell proliferation, maturation and regeneration
following damage. Furthermore, PC
with its exceptional emulsifying properties is
used extensively to make the bile emulsifiers
essential to normal digestion. PC is drawn
upon to make the surfactant coatings essential
to the lung and intestinal linings and is the
predominant building block for the circulating
LDL and HDL (low- and high-density
lipoproteins).
Phospholipid Mixtures Benefit the Circulation
Impaired blood cholesterol regulation is a
proven contributory factor to atherosclerotic
blood vessel blockage. Mixtures of phospholipids
prepared from soy, and containing
PC, together with smaller amounts of
other phospholipids, were proven through
12 double-blind trials to consistently reduce
blood cholesterol levels. Soy phospholipid mixtures also can improve blood flow and reduce
the risk of clot formation in the circulation.
The varied benefits of the phospholipids are
amply verified by a large number of
controlled clinical trials (at least 45 of them
double-blind) and literally thousands of
experimental, in vitro and biochemical studies.
As nutrients the PL enhance homeostasis from
the primal level of the cell to the body as a
whole. As membrane building blocks they
make possible the life of the cell. As blood
lipoprotein constituents they serve as vehicles
for the transport of fat-soluble nutrients and
for cholesterol management. As emulsifiers
they are cofactors for digestion. As surfactants
they are the body’s natural wetting agents.
The multifaceted health benefits of the
phospholipids are further elevated by three
other features. One is their high degree of safety,
proven by exhaustive animal testing and
decades of clinical use under controlled conditions.
Another is their capacity to protect other
nutrients against degradation prior to absorption.
The third is to improve the bioavailability
of other nutrients. These features have made
possible new applications that extend beyond
their traditional uses in human nutrition:
ProLipo® and Nutrivail™.
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| A simple liposome, with nutrients
entrapped in the watery phase (red) and the
non-watery phase (black). |
Phospholipid Liposome Concentrates (ProLipo)
Liposome technology is proving useful to protect
biochemically vulnerable nutrients against
premature breakdown until they can reach
their sites of absorption. The closed-sphere
environment of the liposome is a stabilizing
influence against degradation by digestive
enzymes or other potentially harmful influences.
The new ProLipo technology offers
phospholipid concentrates that conveniently
generate liposome-encapsulated nutrients simply
upon stirring into water.
The natural tendency of phospholipids to
form ultrafine molecular dispersions in water
causes them to be absorbed across the intestinal
lining at better than 90 percent efficiency.
This property has been utilized to improve the
bioavailability of non-phospholipid nutrients
that normally are poorly absorbed. Nutrivail™
technology distributes phospholipids in a
matrix around each nutrient molecule. This
molecular dispersion matrix helps move the
nutrient across the intestinal lining to achieve a
much higher absorption efficiency.
Phospholipid—Nutrient Dispersions (Nutrivail)
Many nutrients and nutraceuticals dissolve
poorly in water, whether due to large molecular
size or poor charge compatibility with
water. The principle of Nutrivail is that by surrounding
each such molecule with a matrix of
phospholipid molecules, a superfine dispersion
in water is achieved. In addition, this molecular
dispersion matrix facilitates direct passage
of the nutrient across the membranes of the
intestinal lining cells, with consequent better
absorption.
Nutrivail so improves the physical characteristics
of phospholipid-nutrient combinations
that the resulting dietary supplement
product becomes considerably more convenient
and effective for the consumer. This technology
is suited to tablets, capsules, granules,
drinks and functional foods (spreads and bars,
for example).
A further benefit of Nutrivail is to combine
in one dietary supplement the health benefits
of the phospholipids with the benefits of the
selected nutrient(s). Nutrivail optimizes the
potential for biochemical synergy between the
formulation and health benefits of the phospholipids
and the improved functional benefits
of the nutrient(s) in question.
With their near-perfect safety record and
well-documented array of health benefits, the
phospholipids also qualify as first-rate
nutraceuticals. They safeguard our basic,
homeostatic life processes and correct life functions
that are out of balance. They help to revitalize
aging and creaky organ systems. They
protect nutrients with which they are administered
(via the ProLipo® liposome technology)
and enhance nutrient bioavailability (via
Nutrivail). Unique both as orthomolecules and
as health-giving nutraceuticals, the phospholipids
are indispensable contributions to everyone’s
“nutritional health insurance.”
Parris M. Kidd, Ph.D. is the science editor
at totalhealth magazine.
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