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A substance in the liver has been found out that helps in the processing of fat and glucose and this can help cut down risk for diabetes, hypertension or cardiac disease. It is a component of common food additive, lecithin.
"Currently, doctors use drugs called fibrates to treat problems with cholesterol and triglycerides," said study co-author Irfan J. Lodhi, postdoctoral fellow in endocrinology and metabolism at the Washington University School of Medicine - St Louis (WUSM-SL).
"By identifying this substance that occurs naturally in the body - and also happens to be used as a food additive, it may be possible to improve the treatment of lipid disorders and minimise drug side-effects by adding particular varieties of lecithin to food."
Lecithin is found in high concentrations in egg whites. It also is in soybeans, grains, fish, legumes, yeast and peanuts, said a WUSM-SL release.
Most commercially used lecithin comes from soybeans. Lecithin can alter food taste and texture and also can be mixed with water to disperse fats, making it a common additive in margarine, mayonnaise, chocolate and baked goods.
