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Lecithin

Supplement phospholipid heart & metabolicbrain & mood
Aka: soy lecithin, sunflower lecithin
Brands seen in Singapore: NOW Foods, Micro Ingredients, NaturesPlus, Swanson Vitamins, Fearn Natural Foods
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
A choline source · dementia trials showed no clear benefit
When to take
Daily
Take with
Water · many foods already contain lecithin
Pros & cons
Pros
  • Phosphatidylcholine source — half of US choline intake
  • Choline itself has an ai: 550 mg men, 425 mg women
  • SG listings run sunflower, egg-yolk and non-gmo forms
Cons
  • 12 dementia trials: no clear clinical benefit
  • Over 3,500 mg choline/day: fishy odour, low bp
  • Some choline becomes tmao — linked to higher cvd risk
Sources
  1. NIH ODS — Choline (Health Professional): what lecithin is · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Many foods also contain lecithin, a substance rich in phosphatidylcholine that is prepared during commercial purification of phospholipids.”
  2. NIH ODS — Choline (Health Professional): share of dietary choline as phosphatidylcholine · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “About half the dietary choline consumed in the United States is in the form of phosphatidylcholine.”
  3. NIH ODS — Choline (Health Professional): Dietary Supplements — forms sold · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The forms of choline in dietary supplements include choline bitartrate, phosphatidylcholine, and lecithin.”
  4. NIH ODS — Choline (Health Professional): Table 1, Adequate Intakes for adults · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “19+ years: Male 550 mg/day, Female 425 mg/day”
  5. NIH ODS — Choline (Health Professional): Table 3 adult UL and effects of high intakes · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “19+ years: 3,500 mg … High intakes of choline are associated with a fishy body odor, vomiting, excessive sweating and salivation, hypotension, and liver toxicity.”
  6. NIH ODS — Choline (Health Professional): FDA Daily Value for choline · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The DV for choline is 550 mg for adults and children age 4 years and older.”
  7. NIH ODS — Choline (Health Professional): Choline and Health — cognitive function, citing the 2003 Cochrane review · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “A 2003 Cochrane Review of 12 randomized trials found no clear clinical benefits of lecithin supplementation for treating Alzheimer's disease or Parkinsonian dementia.”
  8. NIH ODS — Choline (Health Professional): gut bacteria, TMA and TMAO · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The TMA is then absorbed and converted by the liver into trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), a substance that has been linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.”
  9. Lecithin for dementia and cognitive impairment (Higgins & Flicker, Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2003, CD001015; PMID 12917896) — reviewer's conclusions · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Evidence from randomized trials does not support the use of lecithin in the treatment of patients with dementia … results from the small trials to date do not indicate priority for a large randomized trial.”
  10. Higgins & Flicker, Cochrane 2003 — main results (trials and participants) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Twelve randomized trials have been identified involving patients with Alzheimer's disease (265 patients), Parkinsonian dementia (21 patients) and subjective memory problems (90 patients). No trials reported any clear clinical benefit”
  11. Higgins & Flicker, Cochrane 2003 — search strategy and date · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group's Specialized Register was searched on 15 May 2002 using the terms lecithin and phosphaditylcholine.”
  12. HSA — Health Supplements Guidelines GL-CHPB-3-001 Rev. 020 (January 2026), s3.1 working definition + clause 4.8 · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, enzymes, probiotics and other bioactive substances … HS for use by the general adult population should not contain vitamins and minerals exceeding the stipulated limits stated in Tables 4 and 5.”
  13. HSA — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in HS and TM, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev. 001 (Oct 2025), clause 1.3 + Annex A/B — searched, no row for lecithin, phosphatidylcholine or phospholipids · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The objective of this guideline is to highlight the substances of concern when used in HS and TM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list.”
  14. iHerb Singapore — 'Lecithin for Heart Health' category page, default order, 1 - 41 of 41 results · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “NOW Foods, Sunflower Lecithin, 1,200 mg, 100 Softgels … NOW Foods, Non-GMO Lecithin … Micro Ingredients, Organic Sunflower Lecithin Powder … NaturesPlus, Egg Yolk Lecithin … Swanson Vitamins, Sunflower Lecithin … Fearn Natural Foods, Lecithin Granules”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.