The results of this trial showed the usefulness of the introduction of a chitosan dietary fiber in a 4-week weight-reducing regimen for the treatment of obesity. Although significant reduction in body weight, overweight, arterial systolic and diastolic pressure, and respiratory rate was observed in both groups, in chitosan treated subjects the reductions were statistically greater than in the placebo group and a significant reduction in heart rate was also observed. All subjects treated with chitosan reported, together with the manifest reduction of overweight, a remarkable improvement of the general conditions with reduction of hypertension, respiratory and heart rate, and stool appearance (softer, fatter, and easily evacuated). About 34 % of the chitosan treated subjects achieved a body weight not exceeding the ideal weight by more than 5 % at the end of the diet period. These results, obtained with a short-term therapy, are very interesting, especially for the good local and systemic tolerability. Because the major problem in the treatment of obesity is not weight reduction but the maintenance of reduced weight, further investigations should be carried out in a larger number of subjects in order to examine the possibility of using chitosan in order to maintain the body weight at the desired level.

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