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Various functions to control blood pressure and cholesterol
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has performed a 10-year research project of chitin-chitosan since 1982.
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Chitin-Chitosan is a component that is extracted from shells of crabs or lobsters. The shells contain a number of components such as chitin, calcium carbonate and proteins. Chitin-chitosan is generally produced through chemical treatments such as decalcification by hydrochloric acid, elimination of proteins by sodium hydroxide and furthermore, deacetylation.
The following functions have been ascertained as the benefits of chitin-chitosan;
1)Controlling blood pressure and cholesterol
2)Immunopotentiation
3)Proliferation of useful intestinal bacterium by an action as dietary fiber
4)Controlling an autonomic nerves
"Chitin", which means "envelope" in Greek, was named by the French scientist, Ojear, in 1823. After that, Euge discovered "chitosan" in 1859 and the 1st Conference of Chitin-Chitosan was held in the U.S. in 1977. Chitin-chitosan has received much attention in the world. In Japan, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries began a 10-year study of chitin-chitosan. Moreover, in 1985, the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture encouraged both a fundamental and applied study of chitin-chitosan in thirteen universities at a cost of approximately sixty billion yen.
Thereafter, the study of chitin-chitosan was developed rapidly, and in 1986, Prof. Hirano, in Tottori University, found an effect to decrease neutral fat and cholesterol through animal experiments. In 1992, Okuda et al. presented a paper concerning the effect of preventing a rise in blood pressure caused by excessive salt ingestion, and in the same year, started a clinical investigation of radiation syndrome contracted by the Chernobyl nuclear accident. In 1993, the National Institute of Health and Nutrition ascertained a function of depressing cholesterol in vivo. Chitin-Chitosan is being considered an indispensable functional food for preventing habitual life-style diseases.
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