Sensa Tastants—"sprinkles" as they are also referred to on the TrySensa.com web site—are a product you "sprinkle" on your meals to increase satiety (the feeling of "fullness") and decrease appetite. They work, apparently, by using...
"...your senses of smell and taste as allies in weight loss. Sprinkling Tastants on your food makes you feel full faster by stimulating the part of your brain that tells your body it’s time to stop eating."The good news is that the Tastants' effectiveness are verified by a huge clinical study conducted by Dr. Allan Hirsch. In it, over 1,400 men and women lost 30.5 pounds in a period of 6 months—by doing nothing more than sprinkling the Tastants over their meals (this equates to the loss of 1.25 lbs. a week—hardly an outrageous amount, and well within the realms of what one can attain with a proper diet and exercise).
The study participants were not asked to add diet and exercise programs to their routines, but were instead instructed to "maintain their existing exercise routines and eating habits."
The first thing I do when I see a retailer "touting" a clinical study to sell a product is try to find out a little more about that study.
The first and most obvious question is, "in which reputable, peer-reviewed journal has this study been published?"
According to the product web site...
"The study abstract was published in "Advanced Technologies and Treatments for Diabetes", First International Conference, Prague, Czech Republic, February 27, 2008."This is a little misleading; a study abstract is not the same thing as the publication in a notable journal, where the study conclusions and methodology can be critiqued by qualified professionals. It is little more than a presentation of the data, without critical discussion of the findings. So the correct answer to my question is...
No. This study has not been published in any reputable journal.
However, when discussing Tastants with Elissa, our scientific and technical advisor, she informed me that the study had been presented at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in the spring of '08, and that it takes a number of months for any study to proceed through the peer-reviewed process and attain publication in any decent journal.
So we need to give Dr. Hirsch and the Sensa folks a chance to get to print before we draw a conclusion, one way or another (if we don't see publication of this study sometime this spring (2009) then it's time to review this question again).
That said, an ABC News story reports...
"...the Endocrine Society, which Hirsch says reviewed and approved of his work, said they merely invited him to present his findings for debate. And they were "surprised and troubled by the promotional nature of his presentation."Although I have not seen the study to read it, there are some problems which will pose a major obstacle to publication in a peer-reviewed journal...
Participants weighed themselves and reported their results with no outside checks and balances. The program regimen ("The study participants were not asked to add diet and exercise programs to their routines, but were instead instructed to "maintain their existing exercise routines and eating habits.") is so generalized as to put each individual into his/her own unique study group.After all, some people may already be exercising and dieting, some may not. Some may be exercising vigorously, others barely at all. Some may be over consuming calories significantly, some only a little, and some not at all. I
f the majority of Tastants users are consuming significantly more calories than they require and still lose weight, aren't the results even more impressive? And if they are not, doesn't that diminish the importance of the results? After all, one can easily lose 1.25 lbs. of weight a week just by adopting a sensible diet and exercise plan.
At this point, I guess it's fair to say I'm willing to give Dr. Hirsch and folks at Sensa the benefit of the doubt, but I can't say I'm holding my breath to see this published anytime soon. But I'm a skeptical guy by nature and I've found that when it comes to the supplement industry I rarely go wrong assuming the worst. That said, I'll be the first to admit I could be wrong. We'll see.
So what's the bottom line with Tastants?
At this time, you can buy a single month's worth of product from TrySensa.com for $59, but you must enroll in a recurring billing program to do so (if you experiment with either the 3 or 6 month "starter kits" you can opt out of this "program"). Although I have not received any information about this company's billing policies, I do not recommend buying any product that is sold in such a manner. Feedback to this site indicates they rarely ever work out to the benefit of you, the customer.
Given the cost of this product, the recurring billing program, and the "in limbo" status of Dr. Hirsch's study, I would recommend holding off on this product until the study has been properly reviewed and assessed.
In the meantime, there are much, much cheaper ways to increase satiety—have a look at the glucomannan review for more information!
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