Research
Lecithin (Phosphatidylcholine)
24 peer-reviewed studies curated from PubMed and Semantic Scholar.
Studies
Sorted by quality and recency
Lecithin for dementia and cognitive impairment.
Meta-analysis of 12 randomized trials involving 376 patients with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinsonian dementia, and subjective memory problems. No clear clinical benefit of lecithin for Alzheimer's or Parkinsonian dementia was found, though a dramatic result in favor of lecithin was noted in a trial of subjects with subjective memory problems.
Lecithin for dementia and cognitive impairment.
Systematic review of 12 randomized trials involving 376 patients with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinsonian dementia, and subjective memory problems. No clear clinical benefit of lecithin for Alzheimer's or Parkinsonian dementia was found, though a dramatic result in favor of lecithin was observed in a trial of subjects with subjective memory problems.
Lecithin for dementia and cognitive impairment.
Systematic review of 11 randomised trials involving 286 patients with Alzheimer's disease and Parkinsonian dementia. No clear clinical benefit of lecithin was reported, and the only statistically significant result favored placebo for adverse events.
The influence on cognition of the interactions between lecithin, carnitine and carbohydrate.
RCT with 400 young adult females testing the effects of lecithin, carnitine, and glucose on cognition. Reaction times improved with carnitine and glucose, but memory enhancement was only observed with glucose. No effects on mood or sustained attention were found. The hypothesis that these supplements would facilitate memory was not supported.
Profermin is efficacious in patients with active ulcerative colitis--a randomized controlled trial.
RCT assessing the efficacy of Profermin in 74 patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis. Profermin significantly reduced SCCAI scores compared to Fresubin, with higher remission rates and lower dropout due to treatment failure.
Oral choline supplementation for postoperative pain.
Double-blind randomized trial of oral choline supplementation with lecithin in 60 women undergoing open gynaecological surgery. The study found a small increase in plasma choline but no significant effect on TNF levels or pain reduction. No adverse effects were reported.
The effect of tacrine and lecithin in Alzheimer's disease. A population pharmacodynamic analysis of five clinical trials.
Meta-analysis of five clinical trials examining the effects of tacrine and lecithin on cognition and global status in Alzheimer's patients. Tacrine showed beneficial effects on cognitive status, with potency linearly proportional to dosage. Lecithin provided a small additional benefit independent of tacrine.
The effect of lecithin supplementation on plasma choline concentrations during a marathon.
Pilot RCT with 12 marathon runners testing lecithin supplementation versus placebo. Lecithin maintained plasma free choline levels during the marathon but did not improve performance.
Tacrine treatment of Alzheimer's disease: many expectations, few certainties.
Meta-analysis comparing tacrine treatment to lecithin and/or placebo in Alzheimer's disease. Tacrine showed better results than control subjects, but long-term efficacy was not significantly better than placebo. Tacrine treatment had reduced efficacy and elevated toxicity, with many patients experiencing side effects leading to treatment suspension.
Cholinergic enhancement and REM sleep latency in the aged: lecithin does not reproduce physostigmine effect.
The study investigated the effect of lecithin on REM sleep latency in aged individuals. While intravenous physostigmine shortened REM sleep latency, oral lecithin did not, suggesting that lecithin may not enhance brain cholinergic function.
A double-blind, placebo controlled trial of high-dose lecithin in Alzheimer's disease.
A long-term double-blind placebo-controlled trial of high-dose lecithin in Alzheimer's disease with 51 subjects. No overall differences were found between the placebo and lecithin groups, but improvement was noted in a subgroup of older, relatively poor compliers with intermediate plasma choline levels.
Quantitative EEG and neuropsychological effects of piracetam and of the association piracetam-lecithin in healthy volunteers.
Placebo-controlled study investigating the EEG and neuropsychological effects of single oral doses of piracetam and its combination with lecithin in healthy volunteers. Piracetam elicited systematic EEG effects, but was not found to be effective on neuropsychological variables.
Memory decline in the aged: treatment with lecithin and physostigmine.
Double-blind crossover study in normal aged subjects testing lecithin and placebo for 5 weeks. Supraspan tests of memory and learning showed no significant changes. Addition of physostigmine did not improve performance, suggesting simple cholinergic hypofunction is unlikely.
Lecithin has no effect on serum lipoprotein, plasma fibrinogen and macro molecular protein complex levels in hyperlipidaemic men in a double-blind controlled study.
Double-blind RCT with 20 hyperlipidaemic men testing the effects of lecithin on serum lipoprotein, plasma fibrinogen, and macro molecular protein complex levels. Lecithin treatment showed no significant effects on these variables.
Efficacy of tacrine and lecithin in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: double blind trial.
Double blind RCT assessing the efficacy of tacrine and lecithin in treating Alzheimer's disease over nine months. No significant difference was found between the tacrine and placebo groups for neuropsychological tests, except for the digit backwards test. Tacrine produced no clinically relevant improvement over 36 weeks.
Tacrine in Alzheimer's disease.
RCT of tacrine plus lecithin in Alzheimer's patients, showing significant improvement in MMSE and AMTS scores compared to placebo. No significant effect on ADL scores. Tacrine was associated with dose-dependent, reversible liver enzyme increases.
Effect of lecithin on memory in normal adults.
Double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of lecithin on memory in nine normal adults. Lecithin raised plasma choline levels but showed no significant change in memory performance or psychomotor speed.
Oral lecithin and linoleic acid in Friedreich's ataxia: I. Design of the study, material and methods.
A clinical and biochemical evaluation of 22 patients with Friedreich's Ataxia and 10 normal controls was conducted to assess the effect of lecithin and linoleic acid supplements on the disease. The trial used a double-blind crossover design over two six-month periods, evaluating parameters such as joint mobility, muscle strength, and coordination.
Oral lecithin and linoleic acid in Friedreich's ataxia: II. Clinical results.
RCT involving 22 patients with Friedreich's Ataxia and 10 normal controls over one year, assessing clinical performance after lecithin or safflower oil supplementation. No significant difference in performance scores was found between groups, though some patients showed better scores for muscle strength and motor accuracy with lecithin. Patients receiving safflower oil showed less deterioration than those receiving lecithin.
Role of dietary lecithin as an emulsifying agent in poultry nutrition: efficacy and feasibility
This narrative review discusses the role of lecithin as an emulsifying agent in poultry nutrition. It highlights lecithin's benefits in enhancing production performance, nutrient digestibility, and health status in poultry, including its effects on lipid metabolism and fatty liver haemorrhagic syndrome.
SPECT brain imaging in Alzheimer's disease during treatment with oral tetrahydroaminoacridine and lecithin.
Quantitative SPECT brain imaging was performed in six ambulatory patients with Alzheimer's disease before and after treatment with tetrahydroaminoacridine (THA) and lecithin. Perfusion abnormalities were observed in the posterior parietal, temporal, and frontal cortices, but no dramatic clinical or behavioral change in cerebral perfusion was noted after treatment.
Functional and pharmacokinetic studies of tetrahydroaminoacridine in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Seven patients with ALS were treated with tetrahydroaminoacridine (THA) and lecithin for up to 7 weeks. Pharmacokinetics and effects on muscle strength and neurophysiological parameters were studied. An increase in muscle strength was observed in two patients after intravenous THA, but no beneficial effect was seen during oral medication, and side-effects were common.
Oral physostigmine and lecithin improve memory in Alzheimer disease.
Eight patients with early Alzheimer disease were treated with oral physostigmine and supplemental lecithin. Six individuals showed improvement in total recall and retrieval from long-term storage, with a decrease in intrusions. The study suggests that small oral doses of physostigmine combined with lecithin have therapeutic benefits for some patients with Alzheimer disease.
Alternatives in the treatment of memory loss in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
The paper discusses pharmacologic approaches to enhancing cholinergic function in Alzheimer's disease, including increasing acetylcholine production with precursors like lecithin and choline. Results of studies involving these agents are conflicting, with no consistent benefit shown in patients.