You may have seen some outrageous claims that you can eat whatever you want, and Chitosan will block out all the fat from the media. Sounds too good to be true doesn't it? You're right, it is not all that true. Chitosan is extracted from the shell of crustaceans like shrimp and crab. Contrary to what you might think, Chitosan has been used for over 30 years. It is not some new, revolutionary discovery, or new weigh loss miracle pill. So do not get fooled by the media hype. Note: you shouldn't take Chitosan if you have any type of shellfish allergies.
Chitosan makes grand promises of 'absorbing' fat and preventing it from getting into your body. Is it the ultimate 'Fat Blocker' - or is it? Far from it. Thorough clinical studies on humans have show that Chitosan does NOT work! Initial Chitosan research were done on animals, NOT humans. These studies on animals did show some effectiveness, and did show some fat-absorbing abilities; however no studies have been done on the effects of chitosan on dietary fat absorption in humans.
There were NO substantial studies done with humans (if any) before producing and selling this product to the public. Weight loss experts all agree that Chitosan simply doesn't work. Previous studies done on Chitosan were 'small' studies and were not published in peer reviewed journals. There is no studies that have found Chitosan to effectively block fat in humans. In a 1999 study conducted by the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it showed that the Chitosan group who took 8 pills a day for 4 weeks showed no more weight loss than the placebo group.
Because few studies have been done on Chitosan, there are little recorded side effects of Chitosan. No long term studies have been performed on the side effects of Chitosan, and some studies have show Chitosan to prevent effective absorption of minerals and vitamins.
