| We Americans are in big trouble-literally. | | | | Chitosan is produced from chitin, the outer |
| | | | covering of marine animals like shrimp and |
| 2 out of every 3 of us are overweight, and | | | | crab. In the stomach, chitosan acts like a |
| many of us are obese-we don't have just a few | | | | soluble fiber, soaking up water and forming a |
| pounds to lose, but 20, 30, 40 pounds or | | | | gel that traps fats and oils. The |
| more. | | | | fat-trapping action continues in the small |
| | | | intestine, where positively-charged chitosan |
| We try to lose that weight, of course. But a | | | | molecules attract and engulf |
| depressing 95 percent of dieters never lose | | | | negatively-charged fatty acids, the building |
| much or gain back everything they've lost. | | | | blocks of fat. |
| What to do? | | | | |
| | | | The overall effect of fat-trapping: a portion |
| Well, the answer to that question is an | | | | of the fat you eat is ushered out of the body |
| inescapable metabolic reality: you have to | | | | instead of being absorbed. Each gram of |
| decrease your intake of calories and increase | | | | chitosan can trap a couple of grams of fat; |
| your calorie-burning physical activity. | | | | every gram of fat trapped is 9 less calories |
| | | | absorbed. And, as the recent study conducted |
| But scientific research shows that a select | | | | by Dr. Preuss shows, that's a plus for |
| group of vitamins and herbs can safely and | | | | weight-loss. |
| effectively aid weight loss-by boosting | | | | |
| metabolism...slowing the body's fat-making | | | | Dr. Preuss conducted the study with his |
| machinery...reducing appetite...building | | | | colleague Gil Kaats, Ph.D., at the Health and |
| calorie-burning muscle...or blocking the | | | | Medical Research Center in San Antonio, |
| absorption of fats and carbohydrates. | | | | Texas. 134 adults were divided into 3 groups: |
| | | | one took 3 grams of chitosan a day; one group |
| I've written about these supplements in my | | | | took a placebo; and one group didn't get |
| new book, The Natural Fat-Loss Pharmacy | | | | either, but participated in a weight-loss |
| (Broadway, 2007), co-authored with Harry | | | | program of their choice. |
| Preuss, MD, a nutritionist and professor at | | | | |
| Georgetown University Medical Center. You can | | | | The folks taking chitosan lost more weight |
| find out more about The Natural Fat-Loss | | | | than the other two groups-and most of that |
| Pharmacy, and my other books on health and | | | | weight was from fat. You might think that's |
| healing, at my website, | | | | not such a big deal: don't all dieters lose |
| | | | fat? No, many dieters lose vital, |
| Recently, Dr. Preuss published new research | | | | calorie-burning muscle, dooming their |
| on one of the supplements featured in the | | | | long-term efforts to maintain weight-loss. |
| book: the fiber, chitosan. The research | | | | |
| appeared in the Journal of the American | | | | And that's why Dr. Preuss and Dr. Kaats |
| College of Nutrition, in October 2006, and | | | | conclude their study with this positive |
| I'd like to tell you about it. But first, let | | | | evaluation: chitosan, they say, can help you |
| me tell you a little bit about chitosan. | | | | get rid of body fat with minimal loss of |
| | | | calorie-burning lean body mass. |