While there isn’t any magic pill that can turn you into a svelte supermodel in just days, researchers say there may be a supplement that can make losing weight easier–a supplement called chitosan.
Extracted from the shells of crabs and shrimp, this natural polymer was recently identified as a “weight loss accelerator” in a study published in the October issue of PLoS ONE, a health journal.
“In the present study, supplementation of the 1200 ppm chitosan resulted in a significant decrease in body weight gain, which was associated with a decreased carcass weight and carcass fat content,” say researchers of the study. “Hence, the results of this study highlight novel nutritional endocrine mechanisms by which chitosan exhibits anti-obesity properties in vivo. While the health promoting effects of chitosan was known to involve a decrease in lipid absorption at the level of the gut, our results suggest a more complex mode of action including the modulation of adipokines in vivo. “
What Researchers Discovered About Chitosan
In the study, researchers fed the participants–in this case, laboratory pigs–four different doses of chitosan, which ranged from 300 ppm to 1200 ppm. One group also received a standard diet with no chitosan supplementation, which served as the placebo group.
Afterward, they analyzed how these regimens affected their weight–and the results bode well for those who supplemented their diet with the highest levels of chitosan.
“Chitosan supplementation at 1200 ppm decreased crude fat digestibility in this experiment, suggesting that dietary supplementation of chitosan inhibited the intestinal absorption of dietary fat,” says researchers. “This observation is supported by a number of previous studies in the literature. A number of in vitro studies have demonstrated that chitosan can bind fats and bile acids. Although the mechanism is not fully understood, it has been suggested that chitosan dissolves in the stomach, emulsifying fat and forming a gel, which binds with the fat in the intestine, therefore interfering with the absorption of fat in the intestine.”
In conclusion, scientists say this study provides even more evidence that chitosan may help accelerate fat loss by suppressing the appetite.
“The ability of chitosan to attenuate body weight loss at an endocrine level suggests it may be a promising agent in achieving a healthy body weight,” says researchers.
Better yet, it’s even easier to buy.
“Often marketed as a natural weight loss aid, chitosan is a dietary supplement made from the shells of crustaceans (such as crabs, shrimp, and lobster),” says Cathy Wong, an alternative health expert for About.com. Because it is derived from crustacens, there’s no chance of a shortage here: You’ll likely to find it in your local health food store. You’ll also have good luck finding cheap chitosan supplements online, although not all of them are good quality–a necessary evil if you plan to save money.
Readers: Have you tried weight loss supplements before?
Sources:
Chitosan and Weight Loss – About.com
Study: Chitosan Accelerates Weight Loss – PLOSONE.org
Benefits of Chitosan for Weight Loss – FoodConsumer.org
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