What boosts digestion, fights dementia and alzheimers symptoms, helps keep your skin clear, AND lowers your cholesterol? It's sunflower lecithin and in all 3 flavors of ELAVI Collagen Protein Bars.
Sunflower lecithin probably sounds like one of those ingredients you’ve seen a million times but never actually understood, right? We’re here to break it down for you.
What is Sunflower Lecithin and how is it made?
Sunflower lecithin is a natural fat emulsifier (fancy word for reducing fat from separating). It is used in many health food products to provide a smooth, moist texture without the inflammatory hydrogenated oils used in most packaged goods. Sunflower lecithin is made by dehydrating a sunflower and separating it into three parts: oil, gum, and solids. The lecithin comes from the gum. It is processed through a cold press system like the one used to make olive oil.
Boosting Digestion
Ulcerative colitis (UC) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBS) are linked to low levels of a chemical found in lecithin, called phosphatidylcholine. This chemical is a component of mucus in your digestive tract and helps protect your colon from inflammation. We created our bars largely because nothing else out there could offer us all of the functional benefits we needed without causing our guts to flare up big time.
Fighting Dementia and Alzheimers Symptoms
Sunflower lecithin is a great source of choline, an essential nutrient that is needed to produce a vital neurotransmitter (acetylcholine) for memory, mood, and muscle control. We produce choline naturally in our liver, but not enough to meet our needs, which means we have to get it through diet or supplementation. People with Alzheimer’s have lower levels of the enzyme that converts choline into acetylcholine in the brain, so some studies have shown that consuming higher levels of choline may reduce the progression of dementia and Alzheimer’s, but more research is needed.
Keeping Your Skin Clear
If collagen and antioxidants weren’t enough skin-boosting ingredients in our bites, sunflower lecithin completes the trifecta. In fact, most skincare products contain a form of lecithin for its emollient properties that keep skin feeling soft, relieving irritation and dryness.
Lowering Your Cholesterol
Studies show that lecithin can decrease total cholesterol levels up to 42%, and importantly, can cut LDL (read: harmful) cholesterol levels by over 56% after 2 months. There is also research that suggests lecithin can increase levels of HDL (read: beneficial) which removes the buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries, keeping the bloodstream clear.
Bonuses?
It’s non-GMO (unlike most commonly found soy lecithins) and plant-based!
Sources:
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-HealthProfessional/
https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/320407
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejlt.200800041