Guar			6.0 + 1.7
Cellulose		5.1 + 2.1
Acacia			4.6 + 0.9
Chitin 			4.3 + 1.0
Konjak			5.2 + 0.6
Karaya			4.9 + 1.5
Furcellaran		4.4 + 0.9

 As can be seen from the results listed, ingestion of chitosan resulted in 5-10 times more fat excretion than other fiber tested. D-Glucosamine, the building block of chitosan, is not able to increase fecal fat excretion. This is due to the fact that Glucosamine is about 97 percent absorbed while chitosan is non-absorbable. Fats bound to Glucosamine would likely be readily absorbed along with Glucosamine. Chitosan, on the other hand, is not absorbed and therefore fats bound to chitosan can not be absorbed.

 Chitosan has the very unique ability to lower LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) while boosting HDL cholestrol (the good kind). Laboratory tests performed on rats showed that “chitosan serum and liver cholesterol level in choleterol-feds without affecting performance, organ weight or the nature of the feces. Japanese researchers have concluded that Chitosan “appears to be an effective hypocholesterolemic agent.” In other words, it can effectively lower the blood serum cholesterol levels with no apparent side effects. A study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that Chitosan is as effective in mammals as cholestryramine (a cholesterol lowering drug) in controlling blood serum cholesterol without the deleterious side effects typical of cholestryramine. Chitosan decreased blood cholesterol levels by 66.2 percent. It effectively lowered cholesterol absorption more than guar gum or cellulose. Laboratory test results indicated that a 7.5% chitosan formula maintained adequate cholesterol levels in rats, despite a dramatic increase in the intake of cholesterol. 

MECHANISMS OF CHITOSAN FAT-BINDING  

The exact way(s) that Chitosan prevents fat absorption is not fully understood but a number of experimental observations support two basic mechanisms. The first mechanism involves the attraction of opposite charges which can be compared to the attraction of opposite magnetic poles. The second entrapment mechanism can be compared to the effect of a net. In the first mechanism the positive charges on chitosan attract the negatively charges fatty acids and bile acids binding them to the indigestible chitosan fiber. This mechanism can explain why chitosan reduces LDL cholesterol levels. Our bodies make bile acids in the liver using the cholesterol from LDL. When chitosan binds bile acids it increases the rate of LDL loss thus improving the LDL to HDL ration. If enough bile acids are bound, the fats are not solublized, which prevents their digestion and absorption. The second mechanism (figure 2) describes a netting effect of chitosan fiber. In this model the Chitosan wraps around fat droplets and prevents their being attacked and