Chitosan

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Chitosan

What is Chitosan?

Chitosan is a “modified carbohydrate polymer derived from the chitin component

of the shells of crustacean, such as crab, shrimp, and cuttlefish.”

The chitin is “deproteinized, demineralized and de-acetylated” (Razdan, A., and Pettersson, D 1996, 387). It is a dietary fiber, meaning that it cannot be digested by the digestive enzymes of a person (Razdan, A., and Pettersson, D. 1996). Chitosan is composed of a NH4+ (ammonium) group attached to a polyglucosamine chain.

Claims of the Companies

What do the companies selling the Chitosan claim about their product?

The companies claim that the purpose of Chitosan is to help a person lose weight. Along with aiding a person in losing weight, they claim that Chitosan reduces high cholesterol, reduces high blood pressure, increases the absorption of calcium, eliminates heartburn, alleviates the symptoms of IBS, and kills Candida, yeast in the colon that causes cancer.

Companies selling Chitosan claim that some patients have lost 8% of their body fat in 4 weeks, that it reduces blood cholesterol by 66%, that it has 55% greater fat absorption than other fibers, that it lowers the LDL (bad) cholesterol while increasing the HDL cholesterol, and it decreases the risk of colon cancer. It has also been related to slowing down the increase in blood glucose, which in turn controls hunger. The Grassroots Natural Products claims “Chitosan is so attracted to fat, that it actually absorbs six to ten times its own weight in fat.”

How do the companies selling Chitosan claim that it works?

The companies claim that chitosan works by absorbing fat intake in the stomach before it is metabolized. This inhibits...

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...ibliography

Edwards, Christine. (1990). Mechanisms of Action on Dietary Fibre on Small Intestinal Absorption and Motility. New Developments in Dietary Fiber, 95-104.

Hirvela, T., Wuolijoki, E., and Ylitalo, P. (1999). Decrease in serum LDL cholesterol with microcrystalline chitosan. Methods Find Experimental Pharmacology, Jun, 21 (5), 357-361.

Kaplan, Robert, Sallis, James, and Patterson, Thomas. Health and Human Behavior. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc., 1993.

Pittler, M., Abbot, N., Harkness, E., and Ernst, E. (1999). Randomized, double-blind trial of chitosan for body weight reduction. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 53, 379-381.

Razdan, A., and Pettersson, D. (1996). Hypolipidaemic, gastrointestinal and related responses of broiler chickens to chitosans of different viscosity. British Journal of Nutrition, 76, 387-397.

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