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Sensa Weight Loss System

Puppycow

Penultimate Amazing
Puppycow
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OK skeptics, what do you think of this weight loss system called Sensa. It supposedly works by "activating the hunger control switch" in your brain.
It seems intriguing to me, but I'd like some skeptical advice first.

I should warn you that this page is an advertisement and when you go to close it it brings up an annoying dialog to try to talk you out of closing the page and offering to let you chat with a salesperson instead. But you can close the page anyway if you click yes. Also, I don't see the price of the product listed, which makes me nervous.

Anywho, here's the page:

Link

Over a 6 month period, 1,436 women and men sprinkled scented, flavorless "Tastant" crystals on everything they ate. Every slice of pizza and every slice of apple. Every bowl of cereal and every bowl of ice cream. Participants were not required to change their normal diet or exercise program.

A control group of 100 participants did not use Tastants.

Researchers weighed participants at the beginning of the study, then again at the end of the study. The results are illustrated on the following chart. The 1,436 people in the treatment group who completed the program lost an average of 30.5 pounds - nearly 15% of their total body weight. Participants achieved these results without having to follow any special exercise regime or diet.

Those in the control group lost only 2 pounds, on average.
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Without any analysis of the product, do you suppose it could be a placebo?

So do they give any description of what the powder is? Methylcellulose will swell up with water..
 
casebro said:
Without any analysis of the product, do you suppose it could be a placebo?

So do they give any description of what the powder is? Methylcellulose will swell up with water..
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Good question. It says that the control group "did not use Tastants" but did they use a placebo? And was it double-blinded? If not, that would be a red flag.
 
I tried to ask the question to "Jenny" the alleged sales rep:
You
In the clinical trial, did the control group take a placebo, and was it double-blinded?
________________________________________________

Jenny
That's right! Try SENSA FREE for 30 days. All we ask is that you pay for S&H, however, order now and we will take 60% OFF through this chat only offer! CLICK HERE to get started!
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They should really publish a proper, blinded study.

If it works, healthcare providers around the world would love to have this effective a tool in the fight against the "obesity epidemic".

If it activates the hunger control switch and is for sale in the US, it must be FDA approved unless it is just cellulose.


edited to add....

Can't find any published studies, maybe someone else can
 
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I found this bit of info

http://www.ehow.com/about_5263462_sensa-loss-system-side-effects.html

And no price listed anywhere..

http://www.dietspotlight.com/sensa-review/

Sensa currently offers a 30-day product trial via their official website, but the full price if you choose to keep the product is not disclosed until you enter personal information.
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and

Dr. Alan Hirsch who created this weight loss system is an expert in his field. However we are presented with no evidence which persuades us that it achieves superior results to other weight loss systems
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Here's an article that quotes a Mayo Clinic dietician and a clinical Professor of Medicine:

Writing on the MayoClinic.com Web site, dietitian Katherine Zeratsky says "the jury is still out" on the question of whether scent-based weight-loss products such as Sensa can lead to significant, sustainable weight loss.

<snip>

The ABC-TV news program 20/20 quotes Dr. Pamela Peeke, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Maryland and the host of "Fit for Life," as saying, "there is no scientific proof that Sensa works."

"There's no magic bullet and there's no magic sprinkle," she told 20/20 . "This isn't a diet. This is just another pet rock."
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http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/03/sensa.html
 
Emet said:
Here's an article that quotes a Mayo Clinic dietician and a clinical Professor of Medicine:



http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/03/sensa.html
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Thanks. There's the elusive price:

"I ordered a trial sample of this product for $4.99," Phillip of Hagerstown, MD, tells ConsumerAffairs.com, "but was unaware I would be charged an exorbitant price later for the initial portion of the product. Once I had received the first batch, I was informed -- at the bottom of an e-mail -- that I would have to send it all back within 30 days, or I would be charged an additional $89. There was no money back guarantee, so by the time I was able to try the product properly, it was too late to get a refund. There was no mention of the $89.99 charge when I ordered the trial package."
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Well, thanks everyone for the responses.

I think I'll take a pass on it myself and just go back to what worked for me in the past: counting calories and exercise.
 
The 1,436 people in the treatment group who completed the program lost an average of 30.5 pounds
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That is a sure sign of cherry picking. They only counted those who "completed" the treatment program, as opposed to all who started.

The success of any program depends on the ability of the user to stick with it.

Of course, if it is just bunk anyway, their poor methodology is just icing on the cake.
 
If the powder tastes bad enough, I think sprinkling it on all your food would be very effective at promoting weight loss -- as long as there's something preventing you from cheating by leaving it off.

Respectfully,
Myriad
 
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