Are you struggling to lose weight, or have lost it, but are worried about keeping it off?  Have you ever heard the word chitosan?  If you answered yes to either of those questions, or are just curious, then perhaps you need to take the time to read the rest of this article.  It could make your life easier. 

For years, the public has worried about the intake of fat from items such as those good fatty meals you enjoy from McDonald’s and KFC, or those bags of chips, an ice cream cone, or a candy bar.  The public is almost obsessed over weight, figures and fat.   Well, with all the hype you hear and see about diet pills, diet programs, or anything related to diet, who wouldn’t jump at the idea of an all natural solution? 

Yes, you heard me right – all-natural!  The makers of this latest diet craze have done their share of work to create an image that is truly appealing to any and all that dream of losing that extra cholesterol and fat in your body.  The most well-known solution is none other than chitosan. 

What is Chitosan?

Chitosan is simply a fat inhibitor which appears to work miracles for those who are in search of a safe way to lose body fat.    This simple substance has actually been around for ages.   It is derived from Chitin, a polysaccharide found in the shells of Crustaceans, such as Shrimp, Lobster and Crab. 

How Chitosan Works?

Several questions were actually raised concerning the claims that chitosan is effective for weight loss.  One of those is how does chitosan work for weight loss?   The allegations of how chitosan works are as follows. 

Essentially, chitosan is a special fiber which works to soak up or absorb anywhere from six to ten times its weight in fat and oils.  If we will consider its nature chemically, chitosan appears similar to the plant fiber known as Cellulose.  However, how chitosan works for weight loss differs from how Cellulose functions on the body.  The makers of chitosan commonly claim that this special substance significantly binds with the fat molecules, and converts them into a form which the human body does not absorb.

How chitosan works depends on the idea that chitosan affects the fat before it reaches the stomach and is absorbed in the body.   The fat then has no chance to be metabolized.   Also, the answer to the how chitosan works for weight loss lies in the notion that this special fiber prevents the absorption, as well as storage, of fat, by way of converting it into a form of gel which traps or blocks the fat.   In some way, chitosan creates a “grease ball” from this excess amount of fat, which then appears to be too large to be absorbed by the body.   The “complex” fat then becomes an inert substance and is excreted in the stool. 

It is further interesting to know that the answer to how chitosan works for weight loss lies in the claims that, unlike the other forms of fiber, chitosan carries a positive ionic charge.   Since the fats, liquids, and bile acids all possess negative charges, there is then a chemical bond between the two and thus they naturally attract one another.  This is basically the reason that chitosan is now highly deemed as the “fat magnet”. 

However, whether chitosan is safe or effective as a dietary supplement remains controversial.  Some studies were actually conducted to find out how chitosan works for weight loss, but none of those studies have revealed reliable evidence so far.  Thus the research continues. 

So, keeping that last paragraph in mind, perhaps you might want to consider the possibility of trying chitosan to help you in your weight loss or weight maintenance program.  But before you do, it would be best to consult with your doctor to see what they think of the idea and the product.  In fact, why not take a sample with you for them to check out?