title: Effect of chitosan on weight loss in overweight and obese individuals: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
abstract: This article aims to determine whether chitosan, a popular, over-the-counter, weight loss supplement, is an effective treatment for overweight and obesity. It is designed as a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. The data sources include the electronic databases Medline, EMBASE, Biosis, CINAHL and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CCTR); the specialized websites Controlled Trials, International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements (IBIDS), System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe (SIGLE), Reuter's Health Service, Natural Alternatives International and Pharmanutrients; and bibliographies of relevant journal articles. Included were randomized controlled trials of chitosan with a minimum duration of 4 weeks in adults who were overweight or obese and/or had hypercholesterolaemia at baseline. Fourteen trials involving a total of 1071 participants were included in the review. Analyses involving all trials indicated that chitosan preparations result in a small but statistically significant greater reduction in body weight (weighted mean difference -1.7 kg; 95% confidence interval -2.1, -1.3 kg, P < 0.00001) compared with placebo. Analyses restricted to high-quality studies showed that reductions in weight [-0.6 (-1.2, 0.1) kg, P = 0.11] were less than in lower quality studies [-2.3 (-2.7, -1.8) kg, P < 0.00001]. Results obtained from high-quality trials indicate that the effect of chitosan on body weight is minimal and unlikely to be of clinical significance.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Trials Research Unit, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. c.nimhurchu@ctru.auckland.ac.nz
authors.forename: C Ni
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Mhurchu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dunshea-Mooij
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodgers
mesh_terms: D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D048271:Chitosan / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D009765:Obesity / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015431:Weight Loss
chemical_list: D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents; D048271:Chitosan