Chitosan is an indigestible fibre that is derived from the exoskeleton (outer shell) of crustaceans, such as shrimps and crabs. Chitosan is able to attract and bind to fatty acids. It is beneficial as part of a cholesterol-lowering, or weight reduction program.
NZ Pure Health Chitosan can absorb up to 4-6 times its weight in fat (including cholesterol) and prevent that fat from being absorbed into the body.
Each NZ Pure Health Chitosan vegetable capsule contains:
500mg of 100% Chitosan powder and encapsulating materials.
This product contains no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives.
Chitosan capsule
Take one (1) or two (2) capsules daily as a dietary food supplement or as professionally advised. Best consumed 30 minutes before a meal.
NOT recommended for people allergic to shellfish.
NOT recommended during pregnancy or lactation.
Weight management programs should also include a sensible diet and exercise plan.
People on blood-thinning medication should avoid use.
What is Chitosan?
Chitosan is an indigestible fibre shown to have an affinity to attract fat. It is beneficial as part of a cholesterol lowering or weight reduction program. It is made more effective by including Citric and Ascorbic acids.
Chitosan is a dietary fiber derived from chitin. Chitin is an aminopolysaccharide (a combination of sugar and protein) that comes from the shells of shellfish. Because chitosan is a positively charged compound, it is able to attract and bind to fatty acids (which carry a negative charge). As such, chitosan can absorb up to 4-6 times its weight in fat (including cholesterol) and prevent that fat from being absorbed into the body.
How it works
Let's now take a look at exactly what is chitosan and how it is used for weight loss. The allegations of how chitosan works are as follows. However, note that there are no significant studies to thus back up this information or to explain exactly how such procedures take place. Chitosan is a special fiber that is able to "soak up" or absorb anywhere from six to ten times its weight in fat and oils. It is chemically similar to the plant fiber, cellulose. However, chitosan is able to significantly bind with fat molecules and convert them into a form that the human body does not absorb. It claims to affect the fat prior to it reaching the stomach and thus the fat never has a chance to be metabolised. It prevents the absorption and storage of fat by converting into a gel which "traps" the fat. It creates a "grease ball" from this excess fat, which is too large to be absorbed by the body. It thus becomes an inert substance and is excreted in the stool. Chitosan fiber is unlike other fibers in that it carries a positive ionic charge. Since lipids, fats, and bile acids all possess negative charges, there is a chemical bond between the two and thus they attract naturally to one another. This unique ability is what makes chitosan so remarkable. This amazingly "too good to be true" ability is also what causes suspicions to arise on the validity of these claims.
Benefiting Weight Loss
Besides the obvious effect that fat is not absorbed into the body with the presence of chitosan, it goes a lot deeper in benefiting weight loss. Chitosan is a 100% natural and acts as a super fiber. Thus, supplementing the diet with chitosan is part of creating a cleansing process which is said to be extremely vital to weight loss. Take note that these are again the simple declarations made by the producers of chitosan and are supported with no background studies or thus medical proof of any sort. Another stated advantage of chitosan comes from the idea that the chitosan-bound fat leaves the intestinal tract without ever entering the bloodstream. Exactly how this process takes place is not clear and seems to be somewhat far fetched. If this indeed is possible, then the point is made that there would be no caloric value and no matter how much chitosan a person takes, the caloric count remains zero. The producers of chitosan-based products also try to claim that since a person taking chitosan continues to eat some sort of fats and is able to continue eating these types of food, the body does not crave such fattening foods nor is it starving or feeling any added sense of hunger. By supplementing chitosan into one's diet, there is less fat that the body accumulates. With less fat entering the body, the body turns to previously stored body fat to burn up. This shifts the energy source from your diet to your stored body fat and results in a net reduction in that fat - and in your weight. Obviously, the allegations are extremely pleasing, now whether or not they actually could be a reality is another side to these claims.