Soy Lecithin

There have been many questions about soy lecithin recently. I myself have seen it listed in articles incorrectly as MSG or other additives. Lecithin itself is a term that is applied to fatty substances found in both animals and plants that contain phosphoric acid, choline, fatty acids, glycerol, glycolipids, triglycerides and phospholipids. Soy lecithin is lecithin derived from soy. It is usually extracted mechanically or chemically using hexane. Lecithin is used as an emulsifier in many of the foods we eat. The FDA currently lists soy lecithin as "generally considered safe." Since lecithin is a normal part of our cell membranes, the body can metabolise it completely making it "non-toxic" to humans. There are other food emulsifiers that must be removed or excreted by the kidneys, therefore soy lecithin is considered better than many other alternatives. As of 2009, there has not been tons of research but soy lecithin does contain choline and a few studies have suggested that soy lecithin might help lower cholesterol.