Kidney Aid?
During research I found a few “cutting edge” longevity specialists recommending Phosphatidyl Choline and it was presented as being present in the body in decreasing amounts from infancy to the elderly. The amount naturally occurring drops by around 89% over the course of a lifetime. Does this mean we need to supplement with this?
The jury is still out on that one. From a non-technical point of view there are lots of things in our body as babies that aren’t around when we are adults, but that doesn’t mean they are needed or good for us. We need higher concentrations of certain vitamins and minerals, etc, while our bodies are doubling in size every seven years or so, which we don’t need once we reach full size. (or we certainly don’t need ‘as much’ of certain things.)
But Phosphatidyl Choline (PC) may be an exception to this. It has been studied and linked to possible brain disease treatment. PC is used by the body to make acetylcholine which is a neurotransmitter in humans. (Plain English – better brain function) This means scientists are interested in running experiments to test its effectiveness in combating Alzheimer’s, memory loss and other ‘brain diseases.’
Another thing that this can help with is cell structure, since the naturally occurring PC is found in cell walls. Could this help to reduce cell breakdown that occurs as aging goes on? That’s an argument that is being made.
The downside? I haven’t been able to find much. No trials have been done with women who are pregnant or who may become pregnant (jeez, I felt like a big pharma disclaimer there for a second) so you have to be cautious in that situation. Well, you always ought to err on the side of safety there anyway. Possible side effects are reduced appetite (some might consider that a plus), stomach pain and diarrhea. Those aren’t common, and are typical of many supplements.
PC has also been used to treat a variety of other things: eczema, gallbladder disease, circulatory problems, PMS, boosting the immune system and improved kidney function. As stated earlier it’s also used in preventative aging circles.
PC has also been used as the ‘fat dissolving’ agent in those injection treatments and topical ointments to spot reduce. Personally, I would am very skeptical of this use, but I thought I should mention it.
I am considering adding this supplement to my diet – in a 1200 mg size capsule for a thirty day trial. This has been recognized as an “essential nutrient” by the FDA with adult dosage being 500 mg daily. The particular supplement I want to try has 420 mg. If anyone has tried this, or heard anything about it, I would appreciate comments and feedback. Thanks and good health to you.
A couple contributing sources of information:
