The effect of chitosan on blood lipids in patients with hypercholesterolemia and hyperlipidemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Chitosan, a deacetylated polymer of the polysaccharide chitin, has received increasing attentions due to its potential health benefits, especially in the management of lipid metabolism. This meta-analysis aims to analyze the lipid-lowering effects of chitosan in patients with hypercholesterolemia and hyperlipidemia. Twenty-two trials were included in this meta-analysis. It was found that the levels of triglyceride (TG) (mean difference = −4.39; 95% confidence interval (CI): −7.51, −1.27, P = 0.006 < 0.05), total cholesterol (TC) (mean difference = −7.87; 95% CI: −9.54, −6.20, P < 0.001), body weight (mean difference = −1.15; 95% CI: −1.43, −0.87, P < 0.001), body mass index (BMI) (mean difference = −0.52; 95% CI: −0.63, −0.41, P < 0.001) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (mean difference = −6.89; 95% CI: −9.05, −4.73, P < 0.001) were significantly reduced in the intervention group as compared with the control group. However, the difference of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (mean difference = 0.66, 95% CI: −0.26, 1.58, P > 0.05) was statistically insignificant. We found that the duration of the chitosan treatment significantly affected the level of HDL-C (P non-linearity = 0.018,9). According to the study's findings, chitosan might play an important role in the regulation of blood lipid profile in human. However, larger-scale randomized controlled trials are necessary to make the evidence to be more persuasive.