Welp, you’ve got clogged ducts. Happens to pretty much every breastfeeding mama at one point or another, unfortunately. But now what? You’re desperate for relief. You want to stop the pain. You’re also low-key freaking out that it will develop into mastitis if you don’t do something about it fast. But, fear not, everyone and their cousin has started telling you to “just take some sunflower lecithin”. That'll do the trick, right?! But what is sunflower lecithin really? And is it truly the best option?
What Causes Clogged Ducts?
Before we talk supplements, it’s important to understand what we’re trying to fix.
Clogged (or medically known as “plugged”) ducts typically happen because of:
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Inflammation in the breast tissue
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Milk that isn’t being removed effectively
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Oversupply or milk stasis
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Pressure on the breast (tight bras, carrier straps, sleeping positions). Ductal narrowing
The newer clinical approach (per updated mastitis protocols) recognizes that inflammation plays a major role. Think: the pipes are getting smaller vs. the milk getting thicker. This is important to note because it is a factor when deciding how to choose support.
What is Sunflower Lecithin?
Back to it, what is sunflower lecithin anyway? Let’s dig in to what the experts say.
Lecithin is a mixture of choline, choline esters, fatty acids, glycerol, glycolipids, triglycerides, phosphoric acid, and phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine that are normal components of human milk. Supplemental lecithin has been recommended as a treatment for plugged milk ducts.[1]
Sunflower…lecithin 5–10 g daily by mouth may be taken to reduce inflammation in ducts and emulsify milk.[5]
Ok, so what do we know? Sunflower Lecithin is an emulsifier, so the thought is that it helps breast milk theoretically “mix” together better and lessen the sticky milk fat from creating clogged or plugged ducts.
Hold on, let’s circle back to what can cause clogged ducts… Didn’t we mention inflammation? Sunflower lecithin is more about emulsification, not anti-inflammatory. So what is it within the sunflower lecithin that is having this anti-inflammatory effect?
Enter: Choline.
What is Choline?
For years, sunflower lecithin has been the go-to supplement recommendation for recurrent clogs, but more recently choline has entered the conversation.
Lecithin is a group of chemicals that are related. It isn’t a single chemical. Lecithins belong to a larger group of compounds called phospholipids. These are important parts of the brain, blood, nerves, and other tissues. Phospholipids are also a part of cell membranes. The body uses lecithin in the metabolic process and to move fats. Lecithins turn into choline in the body. They help make the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.[6]
The choline portion of sunflower lecithin is what is truly helping provide relief from clogged ducts. Choline is a necessary chemical that supports the brain in terms of memory and mood, muscle and tissues, such as cell membranes, and other nervous system functions. Rather than the lecithin working as an emulsifier to help eliminate sticky milk inside our ducts, it’s more likely that the choline is providing relief to any inflammation within our breasts that may be causing narrowing of passageways. That being said, unfortunately most of us are deficient in choline, especially pregnant or breastfeeding women!
Choline requirements are higher during pregnancy and lactation than in non-pregnant women. During these critical life stages, the liver of the mother becomes depleted of choline and at the same time choline accumulates in the placenta and the liver of the fetus or is excreted in human milk.[2]
Adequate intake of dietary choline may be important for optimal fetal outcomes (birth defects, brain development) and for maternal liver and placental function.[3]
In the United States, women eating diets that are lower in choline content (150 mg/day) are at significantly greater risk for having a baby with a neural tube defect (4 × greater risk) or an orofacial cleft (1.7 × greater risk) than are women eating diets higher in choline content.[3]
Choline is H U G E. It’s benefits extend far beyond clogged duct relief. It largely affects our systems and our growing baby’s systems, in a variety of ways. Ensuring our body is sufficient in choline plays a vast role in supporting our brain, our muscles, our liver, and other neurotransmitter and anti-inflammatory properties; and beyond that it supports the development of those things for our babies, both in the womb and earthside. So how much choline do we need and where can we get it from???
Choline Needs
Whenever we can obtain our daily requirements from our nutrition sources over supplementation that is obviously ideal, but in the case of pregnant or breastfeeding women it may be necessary to add additional supplementation to your diet. Choline is commonly found in animal based food sources - dairy, eggs, meats, etc…
If eating a whole fried egg, you can expect to get about 270mg of choline per 100g of food. A large size egg is approximately 50-57g of food.
The United States recommended that the adequate intake for choline in pregnant women is 450 mg/day.3 Women who are breastfeeding are recommended to consume 550 mg of choline daily throughout the first year postpartum, 100 mg more than what is recommended during pregnancy.[7]
Foods like milk, eggs, and meat are good sources of choline, while most plants are poorer sources of choline.[3]
Check out this list for a more extensive list of foods and the amount of choline they can provide: USDA Database for the Choline Content of Common Foods
Why Not Just Get Your Choline from Sunflower Lecithin?
While Sunflower Lecithin is partly made up of choline, it may not be the best option if choosing to supplement. Sunflower Lecithin may actually have a counter effect when it comes to inflammation, as well as a negative impact on gut health.
It has been reported that sunflower lecithin is a non-GMO (non-genetically modified organisms) byproduct and was suggested as an alternative to soybean lecithin [55, 56]. However, we observed here that gut microbiota was more detrimentally impacted by sunflower lecithin, which significantly induced increased levels of FliC during the treatment phase compared with soy lecithin (p = 0.0069). This pro-inflammatory effect of sunflower lecithin could be due to its content of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, previously demonstrated to induce inflammation [57, 58].[4]
At the end of the day, Sunflower lecithin focuses primarily on thinning milk. Choline supports milk composition and addresses inflammation while also benefiting both mom and baby nutritionally. Choline is still needed to support your and your baby’s health in terms of brain, liver, cells and muscles, and other neurotransmitter requirements. From that perspective, choline is the clear answer when it comes to finding relief from clogged ducts, and so much more!
Quick tip!
Find a prenatal that includes enough of your daily needs for choline! My favorite is Needed Prenatal for pregnancy, breastfeeding and postpartum, including 400mg of choline. (Note: the Needed Prenatal Essentials only includes 200mg of choline per serving).
If you plan to supplement with choline separately, Needed also makes an option for that at 250mg of choline per pill.
If you're dealing with reoccurring clogged ducts consider a breast probiotic to help support your breast microbiome, which also includes choline. Try this one!
Important Reminder: Supplements Shouldn’t Be Viewed as the One-Stop Solution
No supplement replaces the basics:
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Effective milk removal
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Proper flange fit if pumping (Get your bemybreastfriend nipple ruler!)
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Avoiding aggressive massage
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Supporting inflammation with rest, ice, and appropriate anti-inflammatory measures
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Addressing oversupply if present
If you’re currently dealing with a clog, be sure to review my full post on managing clogged ducts and inflammatory mastitis here!
This article was written for educational purposes. As always, please discuss with your medical provider before deciding to include any supplements in your daily regimen.
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SOURCES
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Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed®) [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; 2006-. Lecithin. [Updated 2025 Nov 15]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501772/
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Obeid, R., Schön, C., Derbyshire, E., Jiang, X., Mellott, T. J., Blusztajn, J. K., & Zeisel, S. H. (2024). A Narrative Review on Maternal Choline Intake and Liver Function of the Fetus and the Infant; Implications for Research, Policy, and Practice. Nutrients, 16(2), 260. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16020260
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Zeisel S. H. (2013). Nutrition in pregnancy: the argument for including a source of choline. International journal of women's health, 5, 193–199. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJWH.S36610
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Naimi, S., Viennois, E., Gewirtz, A. T., & Chassaing, B. (2021). Direct impact of commonly used dietary emulsifiers on human gut microbiota. Microbiome, 9(1), 66. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-020-00996-6
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Mitchell KB, Johnson HM, Rodríguez JM, et al. Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine Clinical Protocol #36: The Mastitis Spectrum, Revised 2022. Breastfeed Med. 2022;17(5):360-376. doi:10.1089/bfm.2022.29207.kbm
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Poulson , B., & Manetti, S. (n.d.). Lecithin. University of Rochester Medical Center. https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content?contenttypeid=19&contentid=lecithin
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. (2024, January 18). Choline during pregnancy and lactation. Choline During Pregnancy and Lactation | InfantRisk Center. https://infantrisk.com/content/choline-during-pregnancy-lactation
