Phosphatidylserine is a brain-boosting supplement, and phosphatidylcholine is another major phospholipid with brain-boosting, liver, gut, and mitochondrial health benefits.
So, if you're taking a supplement, which one is better? As with most questions about how to best support your health and well-being, the answer is more subtle than simply choosing one or the other. Both phospholipids work together at the cellular level, and we need both to optimize cellular function.
In this article, we'll discuss the properties, similarities, and differences between phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine to help you choose.
Phosphatidylserine is a vital membrane phospholipid found in bacterial, yeast, plant, and mammalian cells. Phosphatidylserine is also known as complex neuronic acid. Abbreviated as PS, it is extracted from natural soybean oil extraction residue. It is an active substance in cell membranes, mainly found in brain cells. Its function is to improve nerve cells' function, regulate nerve impulse conduction, and enhance the brain's memory function. Due to its strong lipophilicity, it can quickly enter the brain through the blood-brain barrier after absorption, soothing the smooth muscle cells of blood vessels and increasing the blood supply to the brain.
• Phosphatidylserine can help cell walls remain flexible and enhance the efficiency of neurotransmitters that transmit brain signals, helping the brain to function efficiently and stimulating brain activation. In the earliest days, phosphatidylserine was used to prevent Alzheimer's disease in middle-aged and old-aged people. Still, in recent years, phosphatidylserine has been gradually rejuvenated with the advancement of clinical trials in memory. A recent Israeli study found that volunteers who consumed phosphatidylserine supplements had significant increases in memory cognition, memory recall, and flexibility of thought. Learning and immediate recall were significantly improved. In China, a clinical study of 120 high school seniors at the Nutrition and Food Safety Research Center of the Third Military Medical University scored subjects' memory before and after the trial, using the Clinical Memory Scale standard method, with subscales that included pointing memory, associative learning, free recall of images, recollection of nonsensical shapes, and recall of associations of portrait features. The study's results found that phosphatidylserine significantly improves and enhances students' memory, and specific memory indices can be increased by more than 20% in the short term.
• It can safely enhance memory in the short term. Phosphatidylserine supplementation can increase the number of brain spines fluidity of brain cell membranes and promote glucose metabolism in brain cells, thus making brain cells more active, promoting concentration, alertness, and memory;
• Phosphatidylserine (PS) also helps relieve brain fatigue and repair brain cell damage. Because of this particular function, Phosphatidylserine-related nutritional supplements are used in large quantities as pre-testing supplements.
Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is an essential component of biological membranes and can be easily extracted from various sources, such as egg yolk and soybeans. Phosphatidylcholine is also an integral component of brown fat in animal and plant tissues.
The substance is a complex lipid containing phosphoric acid. In addition, phosphatidylcholine fights against fatty liver and alcoholic liver. It effectively prevents and protects the liver. Phosphate-containing complex lipids are two types, including glycerol phosphate (also known as glycerophosphate) and sphingomyelin. Essential components of living organisms, such as the brain, liver, red blood cells, and yolk of animals, as well as the seeds of plants, are high in content.
Another essential function of PC is the synthesis of acetylcholine - an important neurotransmitter in the brain. The body makes this chemical important for memory and other bodily functions.
Want to know what phosphatidylcholine is suitable for? Let's find out!
Anti-aging: Phosphatidylcholine is a crucial biomolecule found in every body cell. Some scientists have experimented with mice that have undergone a genetic mutation that causes oxidative damage, which accelerates aging, to investigate whether phosphatidylcholine supplementation can slow down the aging process, boost brain function, and increase memory in Alzheimer's patients. However, some scientists believe that there is insufficient evidence for phosphatidylcholine supplementation to treat Alzheimer's. Of course, the possibility that phosphatidylcholine has a role to play cannot be ruled out, and more and larger-scale experiments are needed to prove its specific role.
Lipolysis: Some scientists have used phosphatidylcholine injections as an alternative to traditional liposuction. Although early experimental findings suggested that phosphatidylcholine injections degrade fat plugs, contemporary studies did not prove this method could replace liposuction. In some patients, phosphatidylcholine injections reduced or altogether removed the lipomas, but in others, the lipomas became more prominent. This method has side effects and may lead to other complications, so a longer-term study is needed to determine its effectiveness. Patrick Treacy has successfully eliminated infraorbital fat pads using phosphatidylcholine and deoxycholic acid. This method is an alternative to liposuction in some patients.
Ulcerative Colitis: Recent experiments at the University Hospital of Heidelberg have shown that purified phosphatidylcholine has excellent anti-inflammatory properties and is a surface hydrophobic substance promising in treating ulcerative colitis.
There are a few similarities and differences between these two essential nutrients. Let's begin with the similarities.
Phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine are both phospholipids (fats). They help form the membrane of cells, which allows both fat and water-soluble molecules to pass through.
Phospholipids help with neurotransmitter production, which is how nerves communicate with each other and the rest of the body. As you can imagine, phospholipids are critical to healthy brain function. In addition, both PC and PS protect every cell in the body.
What about their differences? In the intro, we mentioned how these two fatty substances have different functions, but their purposes overlap.
For example, PC enhances the functionality of brain cells, whereas PS promotes the health and longevity of brain cells and cell membranes.
In other words, the goal of both these essential nutrients is to support brain health and cognition.
Another difference is that while the liver naturally produces PC, PS is a naturally occurring chemical in the brain.
Whether you take them as supplements or in food form, consuming these powerful fatty substances can do wonders for you. If you need help deciding which one to go for, ask yourself what the most crucial function is.
For instance, if you're looking for something that focuses on the functionality of your brain cells rather than their longevity, then a PC is the right choice. If on the other hand, you want something that focuses on the health and longevity of your brain cells (without enhancing their functionality), then PS is the right choice for you.
Keep in mind that many people take both of these nutrients. Again, this all depends on your specific needs and your diet. You may need more PC than PS or vice versa.
