Cholesterol management and weight loss.
In a double-blind study in 88 subjects, Ho et al.assessed the impact of chitosan on both weight loss and cholesterol management.
Participants were obese (defined as >20% body fat for males and >30% body fat for females) and hypercholesterolemic (total choles- terol concentration, >5.20 mmol/L).
After a 4-week placebo run-in period, the subjects were randomly assigned to placebo capsules or capsules containing 257 mg of shellfish chitosan (Absorbitol, MinusFat Ocean Healthcare Pte, Ltd.) and instructed to take four capsules 1312 Am J Health-Syst Pharm—Vol 60 Jul 1, 2003 three times daily for 12 weeks. BMI, blood pressure, percent body fat, and lipid profiles were obtained at each of the three visits. There were no significant changes from baseline in any outcome measures in either group.
There were no significant changes in the other outcome measures.