Does Chitosan Help with Weight Loss?

Chitosan is a type of fiber which is made from the shells of crustaceans, such as shrimp, lobster, squid or crab. The human body does not digest fiber well, and as it passes through the digestive tract it can bind fats. This causes them to be unabsorbed, too. Since chitosan is a fiber, it was thus hypothesized that it could be effective for weight loss by reducing fat absorption.

The majority of studies done have not confirmed this, however. In fact, in the largest double-blind placebo-controlled study done with the supplement, 250 overweight individuals who received 3 mg of chitosan daily for 6 months did not show any significant weight loss when compared to those individuals in the placebo group.

Are there any adverse consequences to taking chitosan?

Yes.

It has been shown that high doses of chitosan taken over a long period of time can cause the depletion of several important minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, selenium, and vitamins A, D, E and K. Since all these are needed for bone growth, a depletion can set the stage for the development of osteoporosis.

There has also been a report of arsenic poisoning originating from chitosan supplementation. Apparently crustacean shells can contain arsenic which unknowingly can become part of the chitosan supplement. Taken over a long period of time, toxicity and eventually death can occur.

Bottom Line: Short term use of chitosan (i.e., several weeks) is more than likely not a problem. Its not likely to be much help with weight loss. Not for pregnant women and children, however!

Sue Roberts, MPH MS RD/CN is a certified nutritionist and registered dietitian.

Get a copy of her FREE ebook, "The secrets about Weight Loss supplements: What You Need to Know" at http://www.YourOnlineNutritionist.com .

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Nintendo Makes New Addition To Video Gaming

With all of the portable entertainment gadgets on the market today, portable video game systems have lost a lot of their thunder. It's not that the portable video gaming systems available today aren't attractive or impressive, it's just that there are a lot of other portable devices that do a lot of different things (including gaming in many cases). Because of that, portable video gaming systems need some way to stand out in the market in order to be noticed by potential customers. Nintendo dominated the market for portable video game systems with its GameBoy system that hit the market in the early nineteen nineties. The GameBoy was later supplanted by the GameBoy Advance which had a color screen and more flexible features.

now Nintendo has another video game system on the market called the Nintendo DS Lite. The Nintendo DS Lite has a number of features that make it so that it stands out from the other devices out there. The most notable feature in terms of its appearance is the inclusion of a second screen that, with the use of an included stylus, functions as a touch screen. The second major feature that distinguishes the Nintendo DS Lite from the competition is the fact that it provides access to multiplayer video games. While that alone might not be that impressive, it should be noted that these multiplayer games can take place over the entire planet and players can participate from any wireless hot spot.

The fact that the Nintendo DS Lite is wifi capable makes it go a long way in terms of novelty for a video gaming system. While other video gaming systems like the Play station portable from sony are capable of similar feats, no other portable gaming platform puts the same emphasis on online gaming. One thing that's proof of this is the fact that no subscription is needed to access the online games. These online games are provided to its customers by Nintendo at no extra charge.

The Nintendo DS Lite also has a lot of features built into it that make it impressive in its own right. For example, it has built in speakers that provide stereo sound. The Nintendo DS Lite also has a built in microphone in addition to the conventional Nintendo controls and the touchscreen for input. The unit is capable of displaying two hundred and sixty thousand colors and both of the Nintendo DS Lite's screens are Transparent Film Transistor Active Matrix displays for the quickest action possible with LCD technology. The Nintendo DS Lite also has a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery that can power the video game platform of up to nineteen hours which is really impressive by any possible measure. The LCD screens are three inches wide and have approximately a 16:9 aspect ratio. The unit is extremely compact and folds up like a clamshell with one screen on each section. With the controls on either side of the lower screen, the Nintendo DS Lite is also very ergonomic.

With all of the features built into the Nintendo DS Lite, it will clearly shape the portable video game market for years to come.

A pioneer in technology reporting, Julia Hall has published articles about the latest digital devices and gadgets for over ten years. After graduating from MIT with a degree in electrical engineering, Julia turned down huge salaries from some of the most recognized fortune 500 companies in the world to pursue her dream of becoming a leading consumer advocate. Julia uses his expertise to cut through the too good to be true deals offered by high tech companies to reveal the real steals and the real duds that we're bombarded with daily. If you enjoy staying on the cutting edge of technology, whether for business or pleasure, but find yourself occassionaly confused by the overwhelming and convoluted information out there let Julia show you the way.

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