Trial reportEuropean journal of clinical nutrition2003
Chitosan decreases total cholesterol in women: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Trial report in European journal of clinical nutrition, 2003. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 132 citations in OpenAlex.
- Chitosan-Based Scaffolds for the Treatment of Myocardial Infarction: A Systematic Review.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Pooled it
- A Meta-Analysis on Randomised Controlled Clinical Trials Evaluating the Effect of the Dietary Supplement Chitosan on Weight Loss, Lipid Parameters and Blood Pressure.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2018Pooled it
- Quantitative assessment of the effects of chitosan intervention on blood pressure control.Drug design, development and therapy · 2018Pooled it
- Chitosan for overweight or obesity.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2008Pooled it
- Trial
- Chitosan oligosaccharide (GO2KA1) improves postprandial glycemic response in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance and impaired fasting glucose and in healthy subjects: a crossover, randomized controlled trial.Nutrition & diabetes · 2019Trial
- Influence of Chitosan Treatment on Surrogate Serum Markers of Cholesterol Metabolism in Obese Subjects.Nutrients · 2018Trial
- The Pivotal Step of Structure Formation and Oil-Binding Capacity of Polyglucosamine.Polymer science & technology (Washington, D.C.) · 2026Article
- Protective Effects of Chitosan and Rosuvastatin on Renal Structure and Lipid Metabolism in Rabbits Fed a High-Fat Diet.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- Effects of Chitosan Oligosaccharide Supplementation on Lipid Profiles in Overweight and Obese Thai Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Food science & nutrition · 2025Article
- Functional Foods for Cholesterol Management: A Review of the Mechanisms, Efficacy, and a Novel Cholesterol-Lowering Capacity Index.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Extraction of Active Compounds fromMaterials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis to Evaluate the Effects of Chitosan on Obesity Indicators.Food science & nutrition · 2024Review
- Investigating layer-by-layer chitosan-dextran sulfate-coated mesoporous silica as a pH-sensitive drug delivery system.Journal of materials science. Materials in medicine · 2024Article
- Management of metabolic syndrome by nutraceuticals prepared from chitosan and ferulic acid with or without beta-sitosterol and their nanoforms.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Chitosan-Based Composites: Development and Perspective in Food Preservation and Biomedical Applications.Polymers · 2023Review
- Recent Advances in Chitosan-Based Applications-A Review.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- A review on the immunomodulatory properties of functional nutraceuticals as dietary interventions for children to combat COVID-19 related infections.Food production, processing and nutrition · 2023Review
- An Investigation of the Sol-Gel Transition of Chitosan Lactate and Chitosan Chloride Solutions via Rheological and NMR Studies.Gels (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Chitosan as an Underrated Polymer in Modern Tissue Engineering.Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHypercholesterolemia is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Orally administered chitosan binds lipids in the small intestine and reduces their absorption. Chitosan has been shown to decrease serum cholesterol in animal and human studies. This study investigated the effectiveness of chitosan in reducing serum cholesterol without concomitant diet therapy.
methodsNinety female volunteers (age 34-70 y) with confirmed mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia were enrolled into the study. They were randomly assigned to receive chitosan (1.2 g per day) or placebo in a double-blind manner. Serum lipids, body weight and adverse events were assessed at baseline and after 28 and 56 days of treatment. Subjects maintained their usual diet and documented the type and gross amount of food consumed.
resultsEighty-four subjects (41 chitosan, 43 placebo) were included in the analysis. Chitosan significantly (F=3.19, P=0.04) reduced total cholesterol compared to placebo. In a subgroup of subjects with over 60 y of age, chitosan group significantly reduced total and LDL cholesterol (F=4.21, P=0.02, and F=3.46, P=0.04, respectively) compared with placebo. Adverse effects were few; no serious events were reported.
conclusionOur results demonstrate that chitosan is safe and effective for lowering cholesterol. However, the effect of chitosan for decreasing cholesterol is mild.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.