| What is Chitosan? Significant
attention has been given to the role of Chitosan as a
cholesterol and lipid binding agent. Chitosan is produced by
the hydrolysis of chitin, a naturally occurring
polysaccharide that is a major component of shellfish shell.
This fat binding, lipotropic, effect may be partially
explained by both the positively charged sites along its
polymeric structure and its flocculation and gelation
properties in the gastrointestinal tract. Once gelled,
Chitosan can encapsulate over four times its own weight of
negatively charged lipids.
Chitosan is a fiber composed of chitin, which is a
component of the shell of shellfish. Scientists have
processed chitin so that it has a high binding (adsorption)
affinity for fat and cholesterol in the digestive tract.
Fibers such as chitosan can adsorb many times their weight
of fat and cholesterol. Since cholesterol is normally
secreted with the bile and reabsorbed in the intestine,
fibers like chitosan can help remove cholesterol from inside
of the body. The adsorbed fat and cholesterol are excreted
through the bowel, improving bowel function.
Because of chitosan’s ability to bind fat, it may help
some people lose weight.
Studies show that ascorbic acid (vitamin C) helps
activate chitosan in the stomach and intestine into a
fat-absorbing gel. When ascorbic acid was given with
chitosan to rats, far more fat was trapped and excreted in
the feces than when chitosan was given without ascorbic
acid. It is important to take pure ascorbic acid to enhance
the fat-absorbing effects of chitosan. Buffered or mineral
ascorbates will not work as well.
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