Chitosan?

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wrenbird
wrenbird Posts: 28 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Has anyone tried Chitosan? Dr. Oz recommends it for weight loss and fat absorption:

"Chitosan helps block fat absorption, so it’s great for that cheat day. Take 1000 mg (with a full glass of water) 30 minutes before consuming a high fat meal. "

"Chitosan- This is located on the skins of shrimp, which coincidentally also contain calcium. Chitosan acts like a barrier in the intestines"

I wonder if it counts for any fiber intake? The label doesn't really say.

If it does work, I'd like to understand it better. Dr. Oz is great but he spits out stuff so fast and doesn't explain in much detail. I have to know the details!

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  • wrenbird
    wrenbird Posts: 28 Member
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    Here's a bit more I found:

    Chitosan is made from the crustacean shells that are grounded into powder form. It is similar to cellulose, a plant fiber. It binds to fats and lipids, and blocks the absorption of fat by the body. The chitosan bound fat does not enter the bloodstream and is excreted in the stool. Hence, this prevents your body from accumulating fat.

    According to Dr. Oz, Chitosan acts as a barrier in your intestines that prevents absorption of fat through the walls of the intestines after digested food leaves your stomach and mixes with bile for absorption. “With Chitosan, the fat never gets absorbed though the walls of the intestine. It can’t go to your liver, it can’t get into your fat cells, it can’t go to your body,” says Dr. Oz. “Think of it as being like a bouncer…keeping the riff-raff away.”

    Doesn't this make it sound like the perfect weapon against fat? If so, why don't we hear about it more often?
  • capnwo85
    capnwo85 Posts: 1,103 Member
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    uh oh...Dr. Oz post.
  • FrostyFour
    FrostyFour Posts: 262
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    Because it's just like every other thing in the world that magically cures obesity - it brings in $$ but it never drops your ##s.

    Dr. Oz was probably sponsored by Chitosan or something like that.

    You'll find that the people who got their success on this website did it with hard work, determination, all the while dealing with friends and family who were unsupportive while doing their best to choose the right foods and exercise even on their grayest days. Even people who get gastric bypass have to work hard - that's not magic, either. It turns your life on its head and you have to take classes for months before they even let you do it.

    Weight loss sucks. It does. It really, really sucks.
    But it makes it worth it.
  • dancecentral
    dancecentral Posts: 50 Member
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    It was in a diet pill I took called Stacker but I didn't like all the caffeine and other ingredients and I didn't lose any weight but maybe it works better alone..
  • FrostyFour
    FrostyFour Posts: 262
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    P.S.
    I've tried diet pills before, and I thought it was funny how, on the label it said "take this pill combined with diet and exercise..."
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
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    Chitosan has been around for a long time in "slimming aids" but like most of these things it should be used in conjunction with a low fat healthy eating plan.

    Nothing will stop you gaining weight if you are over eating. Trust me over the years I have tried numerous "Slimming aids" and none of the work as well as healthy diet and excercise.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    Waste of money. You need fats in your diet and blocking their absorption is bad. What is more i, it is very weak. Avoid.
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
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    How much fat do you honestly think a gram of chitosan can absorb?
  • paint_it_black
    paint_it_black Posts: 208 Member
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    Drink more beer.... chitosan is used as a clearing agent in beers and ciders
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    Here's a bit more I found:

    Chitosan is made from the crustacean shells that are grounded into powder form. It is similar to cellulose, a plant fiber. It binds to fats and lipids, and blocks the absorption of fat by the body. The chitosan bound fat does not enter the bloodstream and is excreted in the stool. Hence, this prevents your body from accumulating fat.

    According to Dr. Oz, Chitosan acts as a barrier in your intestines that prevents absorption of fat through the walls of the intestines after digested food leaves your stomach and mixes with bile for absorption. “With Chitosan, the fat never gets absorbed though the walls of the intestine. It can’t go to your liver, it can’t get into your fat cells, it can’t go to your body,” says Dr. Oz. “Think of it as being like a bouncer…keeping the riff-raff away.”

    Doesn't this make it sound like the perfect weapon against fat? If so, why don't we hear about it more often?

    Chitosan Supplementation and Fecal Fat Excretion in Men. Obesity Research (2003) 11, 683–688
    http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v11/n5/full/oby200397a.html
    Discussion: The effect of chitosan on fat absorption is clinically negligible. Far from being a fat trapper, at 0.11 0.18 g of fat trapped per 0.45-g capsule or 1.1 g (9.9 kcal) fat trapped per day, this product would have no significant effect on energy balance. The fat trapping claims associated with chitosan are unsubstantiated.
  • Salsabarb44
    Salsabarb44 Posts: 1
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    well, what do we do? Is it good to use or not? Barbara K
  • wrenbird
    wrenbird Posts: 28 Member
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    You got me? I'm more confused now than ever. I've been such a fan of Dr. Oz. He seems to have such good intentions and know what he is talking about. But he is always promoting products. Makes me wonder if he's just in it for the money, even though he says he's not and that he doesn't make any money from the products he promotes. Hmmm...

    It does seem that if this product really worked like he said he does (preventing fat from being absorbed into our bodies), that it would be a worldwide phenomenon and that everyone would be using it.

    I also don't see any way from testing its effectiveness, other than doing a test for several weeks of eating and exercising the exact same, which would be incredibly hard to do. Two weeks on Chitosan, Two weeks off. Weigh and measure body fat. Referring to my kid's science fair projects, where you can only have one variable changing to successfully do an experiment.
  • polarsjewel
    polarsjewel Posts: 1,726 Member
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    Sorry - I wouldn't listen to anything he says
  • wrenbird
    wrenbird Posts: 28 Member
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    Thanks for this link. This was just what I was looking for. Some scientific results of whether Chitosan is worth anything. Doesn't sound like it. Oh, well. I knew it was too good to be true. As most fat-burning products are. I'll stick to my Zumba and chicken breast.
  • mleague07
    mleague07 Posts: 1
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    I have taken Chitosan more for the fiber benefits opposed to the fat absorption. I have found it to be a decent fiber supplement. The fact that it may absorb any fat at all is a bonus. I definitely didn't purchase it because Dr. Oz said so. I did my research on how fiber is a great natural supplement to achieve weight loss goals. I think it has its benefits.

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