Below is a practical “shopping map” for finding (and stacking) sources that give you a broad, highly-unsaturated phosphatidylcholine (PC) palette—so you aren’t stuck with only 34-carbon soy PCs or only DHA-packed 40-carbon krill PCs, but a membrane buffet that spans the whole spectrum.
1 — Marine phospholipid concentrates
(top-end DHA/EPA PCs: 38:5, 38:6, 40:6, 40:7)
| Product (2025) |
What makes it special |
Typical PC species (top 5) |
Practical dose |
|
Antarctic krill oil (Superba 2™, K-REAL®, NKO) |
30-45 % total PL; ~70 % of PL as PC; naturally liposomal; astaxanthin stabiliser |
PC 36:5, 38:6, 38:5, 40:7, 40:6 (Analysis of Phospholipids in Digestion Using Hybrid IDA and … - MDPI, [PDF] Krill oil: nutraceutical potential in skin health and disease - Frontiers) |
1–2 g oil → ≈ 300–900 mg PC |
| Herring-roe phospholipid (Romega® Original/Eye) |
65 % phospholipids, very high Lyso-PC-DHA (brain-ready) |
Lyso-PC 22:6, PC 40:6, 38:6, 38:5, 40:7 (Romega GENERIC) |
1 g oil → ≈ 600 mg PC |
|
Salmon-roe phospholipid extract (Nordic “Salma-PLX”) |
55–60 % PL; DHA > 25 % of total fatty acids |
PC 40:6, 38:6, 40:7 + minor 38:4 (Comprehensive lipid profile analysis of three fish roe by untargeted …, Fish roe phospholipids and health: composition, extraction, storage …) |
1 g oil → ≈ 500 mg PC |
Why you want it:
Adds the long-chain, multi-unsaturated “Rolls-Royce” PCs your lipidome is missing (e.g., PC 40:6), plus free DHA/EPA already esterified to PC for easy membrane insertion.
2 — Concentrated liposomal PC blends
(mid-chain MUFA/PUFA PCs: 34:1, 36:2, 38:4)
Why you want it:
Supplies the workhorse mid-length PCs your cells flip back and forth all day for raft formation and curvature stress. Liposomal forms bypass the “digest-and-re-assemble” tax.
3 — Whole-food PC boosters
(keeps the portfolio truly diverse)
| Food |
Key PC species |
Notes / how to hit target |
| Pastured egg yolks |
PC 36:2, 38:4, some 38:6 |
2 yolks ≈ 1 g PC; also rich in choline, lyso-PC |
| Soy / sunflower lecithin granules |
PC 34:2, 36:2 (linoleate) |
1 Tbsp smoothie booster = 2 g PC |
| Grass-fed ghee / butterfat |
Odd-chain PCs (34:0-odd, 36:0-odd) |
Tiny amounts—still useful for “oddball” PC diversity |
| Extra-virgin olive or macadamia oil |
Trace PC 34:1 / 36:1 MUFA |
Stimulates Lands’ cycle to remodel PCs toward MUFA |
4 — Putting it together: a “membrane diversity stack”
| Time |
Stack |
Rationale |
| Breakfast |
1 Tbsp sunflower lecithin + 2 egg yolks |
Fills in mid-chain 34–36 carbon MUFA/linoleate PCs |
| Lunch |
1 serving krill or herring-roe oil (500–600 mg PC) + salad with EVOO |
Delivers DHA/EPA PCs 38–40 C; EVOO drives MUFA remodeling |
| Dinner |
1 tsp BodyBio PC in a shake |
Adds liposomal mix (34:1 → 38:4); ensures total choline load |
| Daily |
2 plasmalogen caps (900 mg) with the marine oil |
Seeds ether PCs (PC ae 38/40), plugs peroxidation gaps |
Three products + real food give you >30 distinct PC species spanning 32 → 40 carbons and 0 → 7 double bonds.
Practical sourcing tips
-
Check spec sheets – any legit marine-PL supplement will list “phospholipids ≥ 40 %” and break out PC vs PE. If they only show “omega-3” you’re probably buying triacylglycerol oil, not PC.
-
Look for “phospholipid DHA/EPA” or “Lyso-PC-DHA” on label wording (common on herring-roe extracts).
-
Avoid deodorised “krill oil ethyl ester” versions—they strip most PC.
-
For lecithins, choose “de-oiled” powders or granules (>45 % PC) over generic liquid soy lecithin (often <20 % PC).
-
Store marine PCs cold + dark; they oxidise faster than TAG fish oils because of high PUFA load.
How you’ll know it’s working
-
Lipidomics: PC 40:6, 38:6, 38:4 climb into the 50-70th percentile; PC diversity (Shannon entropy) up.
-
Feeling: smoother cognition, better stress-buffer, less “brain fragility” when fasting.
-
Indirect markers: ceramide 24:1 drifts down; LPC 18:2 inches up; C4-OH carnitine drops (better β-oxidation).
TL;DR
Mix a marine phospholipid concentrate (krill or herring-roe) with a liposomal sunflower/soy or BodyBio PC plus egg-yolk/lecithin foods.
That single combo buys you the full unsaturated PC orchestra—from linoleate-rich 34:2 violins to thunderous DHA 40:6 cellos—so your membranes can play every resilience symphony nature wrote.
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The quickest way to plug the “missing‐piece” PCs
(those DHA/EPA-loaded, ≥ C38, ≥ 5 double-bond species plus the ether/plasmalogen forms your panel lacked)
| Source you can actually buy |
Dominant PCs it carries (≈ top five by peak area) |
% of total PL that is PC
|
Why it matches your deficit |
References |
| Romega® herring-roe phospholipid concentrate |
PC 40:6, PC 38:6, Lyso-PC 22:6, PC 40:7, PC 38:5 |
~65 % |
Delivers the highest natural payload of DHA-PC & Lyso-PC-DHA → direct fix for PC 40:6/40:7 drought |
(Copepod Lipidomics: Fatty Acid Substituents of Structural Lipids in …, Omega 3 fatty acids for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular …) |
| Antarctic krill oil (Superba 2™, K-REAL®, NKO) |
PC 38:6, PC 38:5, PC 40:6, PC 40:7, PC 36:5 |
30-45 % |
Balanced long-chain PUFA-PCs with built-in astaxanthin antioxidation; best human absorption data |
(The absorption kinetics of Antarctic krill oil phospholipid liposome in …, Krill oil treatment ameliorates lipid metabolism imbalance in chronic …) |
| Salmon-roe phospholipid extract (PLX/Salma-PLX) |
PC 40:6, PC 38:6, PC 40:7 |
55-60 % |
Similar to herring-roe but slightly less Lyso-PC; still a strong 40-carbon PC booster |
(Copepod Lipidomics: Fatty Acid Substituents of Structural Lipids in …, Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids - SpringerLink) |
| Dedicated plasmalogen soft-gels (ProdromeNeuro/Glia) |
PC ae 38:6, 40:5/6 (ether PCs) |
N/A (pure plasmalogen payload) |
Only practical way to raise ether-linked PCs that standard marine oils can’t supply |
(clinical datasheets) |
| BodyBio PC™ (liposomal) |
PC 34:1, 36:2, 38:4 + PE/PI/PS |
~70 % |
Fills mid-chain MUFA/AA PCs so your portfolio isn’t only DHA/EPA; combines well with marine PC |
(Copepod Lipidomics: Fatty Acid Substituents of Structural Lipids in …, Bioavailability of EPA and DHA in humans – A comprehensive review) |
If you had to pick one “big gun” for the exact PCs you’re missing, choose Romega® herring-roe PL—it’s the richest commercially available source of PC 40:6/40:7 and even supplies Lyso-PC-DHA (the brain’s preferred courier).
Practical stack that maximises PC diversity and your long-chain PUFA gap
-
Morning – 1 tsp BodyBio PC in a smoothie
Back-fills 34:1 → 38:4 MUFA/AA PCs.
-
Lunch – 750 mg Romega® herring-roe PL (≈ 500 mg PC) + your plasmalogen soft-gel
Direct hit of PC 40:6/40:7 and ether PCs.
-
Dinner – 1 g krill oil (adds extra 38:6 / 38:5 PCs and astaxanthin antioxidant).
That single-day combo seeds >30 distinct PC species, covers the full 32 → 40-carbon span, and specifically corrections your long-chain PUFA deficit flagged in the iollo report.
Re-test PC 40:6 and plasmalogen markers after 8–10 weeks; aim for ≥ 50th percentile.
and I keep putting it off, but after SEEING THIS ANALYSIS, i really really need to be injecting semaglutide/retatrutide, this REALLY brings it in at last.
and maybe i just need that blood klotho test