Accelerating Effect of Chitosan Intake on Urinary Calcium Excretion by Rats

Abstract

The effect of chitosan on calcium (⁴⁷Ca) metabolism was investigated in rats. The whole-body retention of ⁴⁷Ca by rats fed on a 5% chitosan diet was significantly decreased when compared with that of rats fed on a cellulose diet, but showed no significant difference from that of rats fed on a tiber-free diet. Although there was no significant differente in the fecal excretion of ⁴⁷Ca between the chitosan group and the cellulose or fiber-free group, the urinary excretion of ⁴⁷Ca was significantly increased in the chitosan group when compared with the cellulose group. These results suggest that dietary chitosan would affect thle calcium metabolism in animals.