Chitin is chemically similar to cellulose and starch, the abundant plant fibers.
It is used to make various other substances, including chitosan, which is derived from chitin by heating it with a chemical solution. Chitosan, has the advantage of being more soluble in water compared to chitin Scientists have intensively investigated the properties and uses of chitin, chitosan, and their derivatives-collectively they are the subjects of approximately 1,000 scientific studies and hundreds of patents. Most of this attention originated in Asia but in recent decades Westerners have begun to take chitin and chitosan as nutritional supplements and major corporations have jumped on the research bandwagon. Chitosan has the unique ability to dissolve and grab ahold of fats and cholesterol in the stomach. Because Chitosan is mostly indigestible, it can then prevent these lipids from being absorbed in the digestive tract.