Chitosan may help weight management: Human data

By Stephen Daniells

- Last updated on GMT

Image: iStockPhoto
Image: iStockPhoto

Related tags Body weight Nutrition Obesity Belgium

Supplements of chitosan derived from fungus may help reduce body weight and BMI in overweight subjects, says a new study from Belgium and India.

Scientists from Ethicare Clinical Trial Services in Ahmedabad, India and KitoZyme in Belgium report that 2,500 mg per day of KitoZyme’s KiOnutrime-CsG was associated with mean body weight losses of up to 3 kg over 90 days, compared to about 0.3 kg in the placebo group.

Improvements to BMI and levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), a marker of long-term presence of excess glucose in the blood, were also reported in the paper published in the PubMed listed Nutrition Journal​.

“It is already reported that chitosan can regulate lipids with benefit on anthropometric parameters,” ​they wrote. “The reduction in body composition and anthropometric parameters observed in our study can be attributed to general reduction in body weight possibly due to reduction in fat absorption by chitosan.”

Chitosan

Chitosan is a dietary fiber and KitoZyme produces its KiOnutrime-CsG ingredient using “suitable and safe raw material sources of ​Aspergillus niger obtained from manufacturers of food grade citric acid”​, said the company.

The ingredient has been studied for its potential fat blocking properties for many years but data from weight loss clinical trial have been contradictory, explained the authors of the new study.

For the new phase IV, randomized, multi-center, single-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical study, the scientists recruited 96 overweight and obese people and randomly divided them into two groups: The first group (32 people) received placebo, and the second group (64 people) received five capsules per day of 500 mg of chitosan. No dietary restrictions were placed on the participants.

generic capsules
Study participants took five capsules per day, each providing a chitosan dose of 500 mg: One capsule was taken in the morning, two capsules were taken before lunch, and two capsules were taken before dinner. Image: iStockPhoto

The data showed that body weight decreased in the chitosan by a mean of 1.78 kg and 3.10 kg after 45 and 90 days of supplementation, and these values were significantly different to the placebo group. Dietary habits didn’t change over the course of the study, added the researchers.

BMI also decreased significantly more in the chitosan group compared to the placebo, they said.

“In concert with this, there was also reduction in body composition and anthropometric parameters together with improvement in [quality of life] score,”​ they wrote.

“We conclude that KiOnutrime-CsG capsules, containing 500 mg of chitosan from fungal origin, were able to reduce the mean body weight up to 3 kg during the 90-days study period,” ​wrote the researchers.

“Together with this, there was also improvement in body composition, anthropometric parameters and HbA1C, reflecting overall benefits for the overweight individuals. Additionally, there was also improvement in QoL score. KiOnutrime-CsG capsulewas also found to be safe and well tolerated by all study participants.”

Source: Nutrition Journal
2016, 8​;15, doi: 10.1186/s12937-016-0122-8
“Single-blind, placebo controlled randomised clinical study of chitosan for body weight reduction”
Authors: V.R. Trivedi, M.C. Satia, A. Deschamps, V. Maquet, R.B. Shah, P.H. Zinzuwadia, J.V. Trivedi

Related news

Show more

Related products

show more

MOROSIL:INGREDIENT OF THE YEAR

MOROSIL:INGREDIENT OF THE YEAR

Content provided by BIONAP BIOACTIVE NATURAL PRODUCTS | 07-Mar-2024 | Product Brochure

MOROSIL™ has won as Ingredient of the Year in the category Weight Management at 2023 Nutraingredient USA. MOROSIL ™ is a standardized extract derived from...

In Weight Management Go Beyond with Slendacor®

In Weight Management Go Beyond with Slendacor®

Content provided by PLT Health Solutions | 22-Feb-2024 | White Paper

Slendacor® is a synergistic, patented formulation of three standardized herbal extracts: turmeric (Curcuma longa), moringa (Moringa oleifera) and curry...

Polyphenol extracts as weight management catalysts

Polyphenol extracts as weight management catalysts

Content provided by DolCas Biotech, LLC. | 18-Jan-2024 | White Paper

Viable natural product options for "healthy weight management" in the age of Ozempic and other GLP-1 inhibitors will require targeted innovations...

Related suppliers

1 comment

Independent Research Might Assure Benefits

Posted by Marcel,

It will be interesting to see the results of an independently conducted trial on the same substance in subjects consuming an unrestricted diet in North America, with double-blinding and a balanced number of participants instead of the unbalanced numbers used in the present study.

Report abuse

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars