Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Fat absorbers bind to small amounts of fat, but they cost about $35 to block the amount of fat in a Big Mac; in larger quantities they cause terrible gas and diarrhea.
Most of the fat blocker products are derived from chitin, a
polysaccharide found in the exoskeleton of shellfish such as
shrimp, lobster, and or crabs. Many sellers claim that chitin
causes weight loss by binding fats in the stomach and preventing
them from being digested and absorbed. Some refer to it as a
"fat magnet" or "fat trapper." Researchers at the University of
California-Davis have demonstrated that chitin fat blocker
products do not significantly block absorption of dietary fat
(Obesity Research, Volume 11, 2003). At least three previously
published studies have reached the same conclusion.
This study involved 15 men who consumed five meals
per day for 12 days, with a total of about 25 grams of fat per
meal. The amount of fat excreted during four days when they
took fat-blocker capsules was then compared to the amount
excreted during days without them. Taking 10 capsules of the
product per day increased fecal fat excretion by only about one
gram (a gram of fat is nine calories). This would have no
significant effect on a person's weight.
Checked 2/10/09