The Consumer Guide to Chitin/Chitosan
In this guide...
Benefits and Uses
Recent findings:
Do Scientists Know How It Works?
Food sources:
Types of products:
Safety:
Books:
References
Browse Our Wide Selection of Chitin and Chitosan Products
Chitin (pronounced kite-in) and chitosan (kite-o-san) are fibers derived from marine animals. Chitin is a polysaccharide-a string of sugar molecules-that naturally occurs in the hard outer shell of insects, shellfish such as crab, lobster, and shrimp, and marine coral. Chitin is chemically similar to cellulose and starch, the abundant plant fibers. It is used to make various other substances, including chitosan, which is derived from chitin by heating it with a chemical solution. Chitosan, has the advantage of being more soluble in water compared to chitin Scientists have intensively investigated the properties and uses of chitin, chitosan, and their derivatives-collectively they are the subjects of approximately 1,000 scientific studies and hundreds of patents. Most of this attention originated in Asia but in recent decades Westerners have begun to take chitin and chitosan as nutritional supplements and major corporations have jumped on the research bandwagon
Benefits and Uses:
Chitosan has the unique ability
to dissolve and grab ahold of fats and cholesterol in the stomach. Because Chitosan
is mostly indigestible, it can then prevent these lipids from being absorbed in
the digestive tract. This can ultimately promote safe weight-loss and a reduction
in cholesterol levels. chitin and chitosan
are also now being taken like acidophilus,
FOS, and other supplements to
speed the transit of foods through the digestive system and to promote the growth
of beneficial live bacteria in the intestines. They can thereby improve digestion,
cleanse the colon, and prevent
diarrhea and constipation.
More speculatively, chitin and chitosan
may protect the liver, prevent or reduce
tumors, heal ulcers, regulate blood
pressure, and boost immune response.
Chitin and chitosan have numerous
industrial uses, in wastewater treatment; surgical sutures, wound dressings, and
other medical applications; as a fertilizer and in animal feed; and in moisturizers,
bath lotions, and other body
care products.
Recent findings:
Japanese researchers found that four weeks of chitosan supplementation reduced total blood cholesterol and caused a number of other beneficial effects on patients with kidney failure. Chinese researchers recently confirmed antioxidant properties in chitin and chitosan compounds. A study published in a Polish medical journal determined that a biological dressing made from a combination of human placenta and chitosan was comfortable and efficient, and promoted the process of healing.
Do Scientists Know How It Works?
Chitosan's primary mechanism of action is well established. It is known to differ from other polysaccharides in that it has a strong positive charge that lets it chemically bond with certain compounds, especially fats and cholesterol. Other mechanisms of action in the body are still being investigated. The ability to bond with fats and other substances is also the reason for many of chitin and chitosan's industrial uses. For example, spread on water chitin absorbs grease and other potentially toxic substances, which is why it is prominent in wastewater treatment processes.
Food sources:
Small amounts of chitin are found in mushrooms (where the substance was first identified in 1811) and yeast. The chitin and chitosan used to make nutritional supplements are derived from sources, like crab shells and lobster shells, that are not eaten as foods.
Types of products:
Safety:
Browse Our Wide Selection of Chitin and Chitosan Products
The most popular products are capsules and tablets ranging in size from 500 to 1,000 mg.
Chitin and chitosan are nontoxic and free of side effects, although they share the same precautions for safe use that apply to other types of fiber. Thus, to prevent intestinal blockage they should always be taken with plenty of water. Also, these supplements can bind with fat-based vitamins, such as vitamin E, and certain drugs, thus reducing these substances' absorption and effectiveness. (Take chitin and chitosan separately from vitamins; before a high-fat or high-calorie meal is a common time. And check with your doctor if you are taking medication.) Although chitin and chitosan are considered non-allergenic, people with shellfish allergies should not take them, nor should pregnant or breastfeeding women.
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