Lecithin is a food additive in many processed foods. While eggs are the most well-known source of lecithin, sunflower seeds and soybeans are popular plant-based sources.
Both offer similar benefits in the food industry, but they have some important differences in price, sourcing, and processing which we’ll discuss below.
And with increasing interest in lecithin supplements, we’ll also dive into the safety and potential health effects of these additives.
What is lecithin?
Lecithin is a naturally occurring yellow-brown fatty substance formed from a combination of different fats.
It’s found in the human body as a component of cell membranes and can be sourced from animal and plant-based foods. Eggs and soybeans are the most well-known sources, while peanuts and sunflower seeds are also rich in lecithin.
Sunflower lecithin vs soy lecithin: a brief comparison
Sunflower lecithin and soy lecithin are both food additives used as emulsifiers and stabilizers in a variety of packaged foods. Sunflower lecithin is derived from sunflower seeds and soy lecithin is derived from soybean oil.
They’re both vegan-friendly, being derived from plant-based foods and produced without animal-based processing aids. When taken as a supplement, they may help improve cardiovascular risk factors, insulin sensitivity, and levels of appetite-regulating hormones.
They differ somewhat in their processing. Soy lecithin is often extracted from soybean oil using chemical solvents like hexane or acetone, although it can also be extracted without them. Sunflower lecithin is extracted using carbon dioxide, a milder solvent.
It’s also used as an allergen-friendly, non-GMO alternative to soy lecithin, which is typically extracted from the oil of genetically engineered soybeans.
Both are available in liquid, powder, or granulated forms.
Production
As mentioned above, soy lecithin is usually extracted from soybean oil using chemical solvents. The steps for producing soy lecithin are as follows:
- Soybeans are mechanically crushed to release their oil and/or are treated with chemical solvents like hexane or acetone
- Degumming: Lecithin is separated from the oil through steam injection and centrifugation
- Lecithin gums are dried and cooled
- Chemical solvents may be used to further separate the lecithins and soybean oil
Hexane and acetone may not be used as frequently to produce sunflower lecithin. Ataman Chemicals, an organic sunflower lecithin producer, makes their sunflower lecithin by:
- Cleaning and cold-pressing organic sunflower seeds to release their oil
- Physically filtering and degumming the sunflower oil
- Further removing the oil from the lecithins using carbon dioxide (a chemical solvent)
One difference here is that soybean oil itself, the starting material, is typically produced with the use of chemical solvents, while sunflower oil used for sunflower lecithin production is cold-pressed in a manner similar to extra-virgin olive oil.
Chemical solvents are used for both types of lecithin to extract the lecithins from the oil source. The difference is that carbon dioxide is a milder solvent than hexane or acetone.
Uses in food
Sunflower and soy lecithins are both food additives used as emulsifiers. Emulsifiers hold water-based and fat-based molecules in food together.
Think about an oil-and-water mixture, such as olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Oil and vinegar separate immediately after they’re mixed together. When emulsifiers like mustard or lecithin are added, you get a smooth salad dressing that won’t separate as easily.
Sunflower and soy lecithins can be found in:
- Non-dairy milk and ice cream
- Bottled salad dressing
- Chocolate
- Breakfast cereal
- Bread
- Cookies
- Crackers
- Vegan butter substitutes
- Cooking sprays
- Lecithin supplements
Both lecithins act similarly in food and can be substituted for each other with minimal impact on the final product.
This was the conclusion of a 2015 study1 assessing the differences between sunflower and soy lecithin added to chocolate. While dark chocolate with sunflower lecithin showed slightly higher viscosity than dark chocolate with soy lecithin, overall differences were minimal.
Price
In general, sunflower lecithin seems to be a little more expensive than soy lecithin. There are exceptions, however, as prices can vary widely by brand.
I found the following prices when searching online:
- Soy lecithin
- Liquid: $6.39/16 fl oz
- Granulated: $10.99/lb
- Non-GMO: $15.89/lb
- Powder: $27.23/lb
- Sunflower lecithin
- Liquid: $43.98/16 fl oz
- Non-GMO liquid: $19.99-$26.50/16 fl oz
- Organic, non-GMO liquid: $59.96/16 fl oz
- Granulated: $15.49/lb
- Non-GMO powder: $23.00/lb
- Organic, non-GMO: $26.99/lb
Health effects
Because lecithin is used in such small amounts as a food additive, it’s unlikely that consuming soy or sunflower lecithin in packaged foods will significantly impact your health.
Lecithin supplements, on the other hand, provide a much higher dose of lecithin and have been studied for their potential health benefits. Before taking lecithin supplements, be sure to discuss the pros and cons of supplementation with your physician or registered dietitian.
May improve cholesterol profile
Research2 has shown that lecithin supplementation reduces LDL (“bad”) cholesterol while simultaneously raising HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels.
These benefits may be due to the phosphatidylcholine found in lecithins. Phosphatidylcholine helps reduce the amount of cholesterol that gets reabsorbed by the body from the intestines.
That said, research hasn’t found a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease when consuming high levels of choline. In contrast, higher choline intakes3 are associated with a higher risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease-related deaths, especially in people with diabetes.
This may be because diets highest in choline are likely to be high in animal-based foods and low in fiber.
It could also be because choline is converted by our gut bacteria into trimethylamine (TMA). TMA is then converted by the liver to trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a molecule that has been associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
Meat-eaters may be more susceptible4 to this process than vegans.
The good news is that vegan diets are associated with lower TMAO levels5. This could be because plant-based foods are low in carnitine, another compound converted by the body into TMAO.
RELATED: Vegan Sources of Choline
May improve insulin sensitivity
According to a 2024 randomized crossover study6, participants who ate a meal with 18 grams of sunflower lecithin experienced improved glucose, insulin, and triglyceride levels after eating compared to those who ate meals with rapeseed oil or white bread.
While this study was specific to sunflower lecithin, comparable results would likely be seen with soy lecithin considering how similar these lecithins are. That said, the study itself only had 18 participants, so larger studies are needed to confirm its findings.
The same study also found increased levels of hormones that send signals to the brain indicating fullness after participants consumed the meal with lecithin compared to the rapeseed oil or white bread meals. Ghrelin, a hormone that increases hunger, was reduced.
While this suggests that lecithin may be helpful for weight management, more research is needed before we can say for sure.
May reduce the risk of breast cancer
Lecithin may have cancer prevention benefits as well. According to researchers from the University of Toronto7, women who reported using lecithin supplements had a lower risk of breast cancer than women who never used lecithin supplements.
The researchers didn’t collect dosage information, however, so we don’t know what the most effective dose would be. This would need to be determined with randomized controlled trials, which haven’t yet been conducted.
The evidence isn’t nearly strong enough to support taking lecithin supplements to prevent breast cancer yet.
Instead, I recommend checking out the evidence-based 30-Day Cancer Prevention Checklist from the American Institute for Cancer Research for the top cancer prevention tips.
Safety
Sunflower lecithin and soy lecithin are both considered Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the FDA and are approved for use as food additives.
Worried about the chemical solvents used to produce soy lecithin? Hexane and acetone are known neurotoxins when inhaled, but we don’t inhale food. The good news is that the amount of residual hexane in vegetable oils is very low8, well below the safety limits set by the European Union, and is likely low in soy lecithin as well.
If you’re concerned about genetically engineered soybeans, you can choose organic products. USDA Organic foods aren’t allowed to contain genetically engineered ingredients, so any lecithin used will be non-GMO.
RELATED: Is Soy Lecithin Vegan? Is It Safe?
Summary
Sunflower and soy lecithin are both safe, non-toxic food additives.
While it’s a good idea not to overconsume processed foods high in sodium, fat, or added sugars, there’s no need to avoid packaged foods just because they contain additives like lecithin.
Sunflower lecithin is usually non-GMO and produced with milder chemical solvents. Non-GMO soy lecithin is available but isn’t used as frequently as conventional soy lecithin is in packaged foods. They act similarly in foods and can be used interchangeably with minimal impact on the final product.
Both types of lecithin can improve cholesterol levels, but there isn’t enough research to support taking lecithin supplements to improve cardiovascular health. It’s possible they could negatively impact heart health by increasing TMAO production, especially in meat-eaters, although more research is needed.
For now, I’d focus on evidence-based lifestyle habits like eating more plants, exercising, and managing stress to support your heart health.
Interested in learning more about other common food additives? Check out Is Guar Gum Vegan? (And Why It’s In Your Coconut Milk)
The scientific information in this article was accurate at the time of publishing but may change over time as new research becomes available.
References
- Krüger S, Bürmann L, Morlock GE. Comparison and characterization of soybean and sunflower lecithins used for chocolate production by high-performance thin-layer chromatography with fluorescence detection and electrospray mass spectrometry. J Agric Food Chem. 2015;63(11):2893-2901. doi:10.1021/jf506332f
- Onaolapo MC, Alabi OD, Akano OP, et al. Lecithin and cardiovascular health: a comprehensive review. Egypt Heart J. 2024;76(1):92. Published 2024 Jul 13. doi:10.1186/s43044-024-00523-0
- Zheng Y, Li Y, Rimm EB, et al. Dietary phosphatidylcholine and risk of all-cause and cardiovascular-specific mortality among US women and men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016;104(1):173-180. doi:10.3945/ajcn.116.131771
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Carnitine – Health Professional Fact Sheet. NIH website. Accessed 1/7/24.
- Lombardo M, Aulisa G, Marcon D, Rizzo G. The Influence of Animal- or Plant-Based Diets on Blood and Urine Trimethylamine-N-Oxide (TMAO) Levels in Humans. Curr Nutr Rep. 2022;11(1):56-68. doi:10.1007/s13668-021-00387-9
- Hossain MM, Tovar J, Cloetens L, de Kam S, Nilsson A. Oat polar lipids and sunflower lecithin similarly improve cardiometabolic risk markers and appetite controlling hormone responses after breakfast and a subsequent lunch. A randomized crossover study in healthy adults. Front Nutr. 2024;11:1497844. Published 2024 Nov 6. doi:10.3389/fnut.2024.1497844
- Anderson LN, Cotterchio M, Boucher BA. Lecithin supplements and breast cancer risk. Epidemiology. 2011;22(3):444-446. doi:10.1097/EDE.0b013e31821085ea
- Mojtaba Yousefi, Hedayat Hosseini (2017) Evaluation of Hexane Content in Edible Vegetable Oils Consumed in Iran. Journal of Experimental and Clinical Toxicology – 1(1):27-30. https://doi.org/10.14302/issn.2641-7669.ject-17-1790
