ChitosanWhat is chitosan?Chitosan is a “modified carbohydrate polymer derived from the chitin component of the shells of crustaceans, such as crab, shrimp, and cuttlefish.” Chitin is “deproteinized, demineralized and deacetylated.” » (Razdan, A. and Pettersson, D 1996, 387). It is a dietary fiber, meaning it cannot be digested by a person's digestive enzymes (Razdan, A. and Pettersson, D. 1996). Chitosan is composed of an NH4+ (ammonium) group attached to a polyglucosamine chain. Company Claims What do companies selling chitosan claim about their product? Companies claim that the purpose of chitosan is to help a person lose weight. In addition to helping a person lose weight, they claim that chitosan reduces high cholesterol, lowers high blood pressure, increases calcium absorption, eliminates heartburn, eases IBS symptoms, and kills Candida , the colon yeast that causes cancer. Chitosan sellers claim that some patients lost 8% of their body fat in 4 weeks, that it reduces blood cholesterol by 66%, that it absorbs 55% more fat than other fibers, that it lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol while increasing HDL cholesterol and decreases the risk of colon cancer. This has also been associated with slowing the rise in blood sugar, which in turn controls hunger. According to Grassroots Natural Products, "chitosan is so attracted to fat that it actually absorbs six to ten times its own weight in fat." How do companies selling chitosan claim it works? the stomach before being metabolized. This inhibits... middle of article...... ibliography Edwards, Christine. (1990). Mechanisms of action of dietary fiber on absorption and motility of the small intestine. New developments in dietary fiber, 95-104. Hirvela, T., Wuolijoki, E. and Ylitalo, P. (1999). Reduction in serum LDL cholesterol thanks to microcrystalline chitosan. Methods Finding Experimental Pharmacology, June 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., & Ernst, E. (1999). Double-blind randomized trial of chitosan for body weight reduction. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 53, 379-381. Razdan, A. and Pettersson, D. (1996). Hypolipidemic, gastrointestinal and related responses of broilers to chitosans of different viscosities. British Journal of Nutrition, 76, 387-397.