Sensa is a weight-loss program that revolves around the use of seasonsed sprinkles that are said to decrease appetite. According to the Sensa website, the "tastants" included in these sprinkles act to increase your sense of smell, and as a result cause you to feel full sooner. The Sensa weight-loss system consists of six months of Sensa sprinkles, with a different "blend" each month. The website notes that you should sprinkle Sensa on every meal for best results. Talk with your doctor prior to beginning any diet plan.
Features
Sensa sprinkles consist of maltodextrin derived from corn starch. Other ingredients include tricalcium phosphate, silica, and soy and milk ingredients. The product is sugar-free, calorie-free and gluten-free. Each month's supply of sprinkles contains different combinations of salty and sweet flavors. Dieters are encouraged to move on to the next month's blend so as to not become immune or resistant to the previous month's blend. The tastants in these blends are described as flavor combinations that are thought to trigger the brain's satiety mechanism. These claims are not scientifically proven.
Diet Program
There are no food restrictions required while using Sensa; you can eat whatever foods you want. Provided that the dieter sprinkles Sensa on each meal, there are no lifestyle changes required either with this plan. The tastants contained in the sprinkles claim to decrease your appetite naturally. If you should gain weight while using the sprinkles, the manufacturer states that this means that your body is not yet acclimated to its new satiety signals. Dieters are directed to stop eating as soon as they start to feel full.
Study
It appears that some scientific data, particularly that conducted and presented by Sensa creator Dr. Alan Hirsch, do support its claims of efficacy. Hirsch conducted a six-month study in which study subjects lost an average of 15 percent of their body weight. This equated to an average of 30 lbs. of weight loss. The study was presented at an annual meeting of the Endocrine Society.
Concerns
Despite the encouraging nature of the Sensa weight loss findings, the data is questionable. In an independent investigation, ABC News found that the participants of the study were not weighed in by the researchers, but instead weighed themselves at home with no outside verification. In addition, Hirsch acknowledged that promotional videos falsely claimed that the study used "placebo" flakes on a control group to simulate Sensa flakes. Moreover, the Endocrine Society invited Hirsch to speak at its meeting for purposes of debate, not necessarily because it believed his findings were valid.
Identification
Sensa sprinkles have unsuccessfully been marketed before, as "Sprinkle Thin." This product, introduced in 2004, went off the market in 2005, despite its claims of being "clinically proven" to produce weight loss. Although Sensa has now reemerged as a "breakthrough," the sprinkles are largely the same as in their former incarnation.
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