StarScream66
Well-known member
So, I got my reply back from NOW Foods regarding the amount of PS in their lecithin granules. Here is what I asked:
And here is the reply:
Hi Jim,
I appreciate you taking the time to reply to my email. I saw your link where you tested other brands for PS content. But, I was just curious, why do you actually remove the phosphatidylserine from your lecithin products? That seems to be counterproductive.
I was having a discussion on a bodybuilding forum about the benefits of PS, like the ones in this study Invalid Link Removed
"The effects of phosphatidylserine on endocrine response to moderate intensity exercise" and it shows a person would need around 600 mg a day of PS to get the full range of benefits. I was making the argument that lecithin would be the cheaper option for that, but since you remove the PS from your product, it would make more sense to buy from one of your competitors. Just as an example, your Phosphatidylserine 300 mg Extra Strength product is around $30 on Amazon and has 50 capsules. So, a person would be spending $1.20/day to get the correct dosage. But, if I person bought a 2lb jug of lecithin granules on Amazon for $25 (I've seen it as low as $10) and used the suggested serving size of 1 and 1/2 teaspoons they would be spending 19¢ per day.
So, as you can see, the value proposition is much less with the granules. But, since the PS level is so low, there's no point in using it for the intended purpose.
Anyway, just a suggestion to NOW maybe not remove a very valuable and important ingredient like Phosphatidylserine would make more sense for the consumer?
Just for reference, Invalid Link Removed lists the composition of soy lecithin as follows:
Invalid Link Removed1.2 Composition
Soy lecithin contains:
Phosphatidylserine (PS; phosphatidic acid bound to serine) at around 3% total phospholipids[4]
Phosphatidylcholine (PC; phosphatidic acid bound to choline) at up to 29-31.7% of phospholipids[5][4]
Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE; phosphatidic acid bound to ethanolamine) at up to 20.8-23% of phospholipids[5][4]
Phosphatidylinositol (PI; phosphatidic acid bound to inositol) up to 15-17.5% of phospholipids[5][4]
Phosphatidic acid (PA; 7-17.5% of total phospholipids[5][4])
Phytosterols (most as glycosides) including β-sitosterol, sitostanol, and sitosteryl β-d-glucoside[6]
Phytoglycolipids (14.8% total phospholipids[4])
With the lipid composition of the above phospholipids accounting for:
Linoleic acid at 64%[4]
Palmitic acid at 14%[4]
Oleic acid at 10%[4]
Linolenic acid at 7%[4]
Stearic acid at 4%[4]
Relative to other sources of lecithin, soy appears to be comparatively high in PI with 15% of the phospholipids as PI[5] and 287mg/100g food product (soy overall, not just oil) being PI;[7] another popular lecithin, derived from egg yolk, is much lower in PI.[8]
Even Wikipedia says soy lecithin contains 3% PS. As your company is probably one of the largest suppliers of lecithin granules, I would expect that it would meet those common amounts.
And here is the reply:
Thanks for the details and link provided. A few points of clarification are needed.
1. We obtain the various lecithin products from major producers and are not involved in actual production of these raw materials.
2. Most nutrient composition databases reference crude liquid lecithin (and the claimed 3% PS) and not the de-oiled dry granular (soy) or powdered (sunflower) forms. You will note the high % of fats in the info you provided which refers to the crude liquid lecithin.
3. Although we do sell liquid sunflower lecithin, it tends to be thick and gummy and coats the tongue and mouth for a while. Thus not a good option either from a PS standpoint.
4. Subsequent de-oiling processes tend to reduce the PS % even further, but unsure of a specific % since it isn’t commonly assessed. Most of the PS is sold separately and used by manufacturers in various formulations such as ours.
5. Although some PS studies such the one you presented, have shown benefit at 600mg doses, 300mg is typically sufficient for most people to feel a difference. Hopefully this about allows it to be within financial reach.
Jim G.
NOW Product Information Dept.
