Contents
In addition to removing toxic substances from the body, the liver produces special substances that support cell structure and repair damaged tissues.
What are essential phospholipids
Phospholipids are fats but have a slightly different role in the human body. They are found on the membrane of cells, which are the basic building block of the body. A large number of processes take place in cells, and it is phospholipids that maintain their membrane intact. In addition, they are involved in the enzymatic functions of the cell.1.
Phospholipids ensure the strength of the cell membrane due to their specific ability to attract water at one end, the “head”; and the other end, the “tail”, repels water. The inner layer, consisting of “tails” fastened together, gives the cell wall strength.1.
For drugs, phospholipids are obtained from soybeans, the oil of which contains up to 45% phosphatidylcholine, as well as from sunflower seeds. Phosphatidylcholine is a bilayer of lipids and is used to create pharmaceuticals.
Functions of essential phospholipids in the body
Since phospholipids are found in every cell of the human body, they play a very important role. Indeed, with their lack, many cells and systems will suffer.
The double lipid layer protects the structure of the cell and is also involved in the movement of other types of lipids in the body.1.
Phospholipids “dissolve” certain substances, such as cholesterol3. With age, the concentration of the latter increases, and phospholipids, on the contrary, decreases. Because of this, the throughput of the cell membrane decreases and metabolic processes throughout the body slow down.3.
The greatest amount of phospholipids was found in the liver, as well as in the brain, heart and nerve cells. Hepatocytes, liver cells, are especially vulnerable, as they are constantly exposed to toxins that must be neutralized and removed from the body. The death of hepatocytes can lead to liver disease.
Causes of liver disease
Liver damage occurs as a result of serious exposures: regular alcohol consumption, type 2 diabetes, various chemicals from the outside; and due to malnutrition, poor ecology, household chemicals and medications2. As a result, cell function is disrupted, antioxidant mechanisms cannot cope with oxidation. Fat accumulates in the liver cells and chronic inflammation develops.
When and who should take essential phospholipids
Essential phospholipids have been used specifically for the treatment of liver diseases for several decades. They have an extra linoleic acid molecule that regular phospholipids don’t have. This improves the incorporation of essential phospholipids into the cell membrane, strengthening it and increasing the flexibility of the wall, normalizing the functions of the cell membrane.
Phospholipids replace the cell’s own damaged phospholipids and are used as hepatoprotectors – that is, drugs that protect liver cells2. They improve the regeneration of liver cells, that is, their recovery, and also enhance the protective function of the liver.
Phospholipid preparations can have a different form: in the form of capsules or intravenously in the form of droppers, intramuscularly in the form of injections. Phospholipid preparations have almost no side effects and are well tolerated. However, it should be borne in mind that in people with soy protein intolerance, drugs can cause allergies.
In addition to persons with liver disease, essential phospholipids are required after treatment with toxic drugs, after prolonged alcohol consumption.2. The drugs are used in combination in the treatment of atherosclerosis, since phospholipids are also involved in cholesterol metabolism.3. Often with long-term use of drugs for atherosclerosis, there is a risk of drug-induced liver injury, and then essential phospholipids may be useful. They improve the regeneration of liver cells, that is, their recovery, and also enhance the protective function of the liver.
But people without liver disease may lack phospholipids. Polyunsaturated fatty acids omega 3 and 6, which come only with food, can be part of essential phospholipids. At the same time, omega 3 and 6 are found in high-calorie, fatty foods: walnuts, red fish, vegetable oils, so their amount for consumption is limited. With malnutrition, starvation, frequent diets, a deficiency of phospholipids may occur.
But with good nutrition and the absence of complaints from the digestive system, a healthy person does not need additional medication. They are needed when the liver cannot cope with its function of neutralizing and removing toxins. If you feel unwell and there are risk factors, you can check the condition of the liver by donating blood from a vein for biochemical analysis.
1. Essentinorm
Bioadditive contains artichoke extract, soy lecithin, vitamin E and indole. Natural ingredients help restore damaged liver cells and increase their resistance to harmful effects: alcohol, drugs. A bioadditive is recommended for people who want to improve the condition of the liver, follow a strict diet, undergo a long course of treatment with antibiotics or hormonal drugs. The recommended dose is 2 capsules twice a day.
2. Essentiale Forte N
A popular hepatoprotective agent contains soybean phospholipids, which are able to restore hepatocytes in the liver cells. The drug is prescribed for people with chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, fatty degeneration and other liver diseases. Essentiale Forte N is indicated for toxicosis of pregnant women, psoriasis and for the prevention of the formation of gallstones. Adults and children over 12 years of age are recommended to take 2 capsules three times a day.
3. Esslial Forte
Esslial Forte contains phospholipids identical to those present in the human body, but more active due to the high concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Phospholipids “embed” in damaged membranes of liver cells and promote their regeneration. Esslial Forte is prescribed for chronic diseases and toxic liver damage, for toxicosis of pregnancy and psoriasis. Dosage for adults and children over 12 years old – 6 capsules per day, 2 at a time.
4. Phosphoglyv
In addition to phospholipids, the preparation contains glycyrrhizic acid and its salts, which have an anti-inflammatory effect and activate local immunity. Phosphogliv is prescribed for alcoholic, toxic and medicinal liver damage, used in the complex therapy of hepatosis, viral hepatitis and psoriasis. The manufacturer recommends taking 2 capsules 3 times a day for 3-12 months. The drug is contraindicated in pregnancy, lactation, individual intolerance and under the age of 12 years.
5. Lecithin
This supplement contains sunflower phospholipids and can be an alternative for people with soy allergies. The dietary supplement is made from environmentally friendly sunflower seeds and has a complex effect: it helps to improve the functioning of the liver, cardiovascular and peripheral nervous systems. The supplement can be taken as a prophylactic and restorative agent and as part of complex therapy. Contraindications for use: pregnancy, breastfeeding period, individual intolerance, exacerbation of pancreatitis and cholelithiasis. The recommended regimen is 2 capsules 2 times a day for a month.
Sources of:
- Russian Medical Journal No. 35 of December 06.12.2012, XNUMX. Topchiy N. V., Toporkov A. S. “Essential phospholipids – choosing the best option?”.
- Russian Medical Journal No. 12 dated 22.06. 2004 Maevskaya M. V., Ivashkin V. T. “A new look at essential phospholipids”. https://www.rmj.ru/articles/gastroenterologiya/Novyy_vzglyad_na_essencialynye_fosfolipidy/
- Medical Bulletin of the South of Russia. E. N. Veselova, E. E. Alekseev, L. S. Mkrtchyan. “Essential phospholipids in the treatment of metabolic syndrome”. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/essentsialnye-fosfolipidy-v-lechenii-metabolicheskogo-sindroma/viewer