Sensa – All about the Sprinkle Diet

Dr. Hirsch wouldn’t have dreamt of the response he has received for his pathbreaking Sprinkle diet – All the media channels including Oprah have foundbandwidth to mention it.Dr. Alan Hirsch, director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundationin Chicago, formulated crystals he calls tastants to stimulate the sense oftaste and enhance a food’s flavor. Dr Hirsch opines that the flavoring enhancesthe taste factor of bland foods like Tofu and vegetable centric food – this inturn sends a signal of fulfillment (or satiety as dr Hirsch calls it) – leadingto a natural regulation of the diet….But, is it that simple?Some questions beg the answers….

• Will this Sprinkle diet treatment really work in the case of compulsiveeaters?
• As dr. Hirsch says, the bland food becomes more appealing to taste buds – Willthis not enhance the appetite naturally?

“How can you feel full faster? That is what this study looked at,” said Hirschin a news conference . “But this uses natural physiology. The more they likedthe taste, the more they used it and the more weight they lost.”In another study by a neurologist, the observations seem to corroborate Dr.Hirsch’s theory-“Sprinkling calorie-free flavorings on foods can help people feel full fasterand lose weight, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting ofthe Endocrine Society in San Francisco. The research was performed by aneurologist who was intrigued by the fact that people who lose their sense ofsmell and taste from severe head injuries often gain weight rapidly.”

Sensa – Sprinkle Diet case Studies

In the study, the salt-free tastants were labeled as savory or sweet butproduced such flavors as cheddar cheese, onion, horseradish, ranch dressing,cocoa, banana, strawberry, malt and other flavors. Dr. Hirsch asked ..

• 1,436 overweight or obese men to sprinkle the tastants on all their food forsix months but not to otherwise alter their diet or exercise habits.
• At the end of six months, those who had stuck with the tastants lost anaverage of 30.5 pounds or about 15% of their body weight.
• A control group of 100 people who used non-flavored crystals that looked like tastants lost an average of 2 pounds over six months.

Dr Hirsch’s advocacy of Sensa – The Sprinkle Diet

As is true with any new product or drug, Sensa has attracted a lot of eyeballsand this is what Dr. Hirsch has to say about the strong points of Sensa..

• Sensa works with your body’s natural impulses, not against them“With Sensa, there are no food restrictions. It is designed to help you overcomethe biological urge to overeat, so you can reduce your calorie consumption andlose weight while continuing to enjoy the foods you love and feeling fullysatisfied. It works gradually, with no shock to your system.”
• Sensa is based on 25 years of research and testing“At the heart of the Sensa program is a patent-pending technology 25 years inthe making. Sometimes referred to as “sprinkles,” Sensa Tastants use your sensesof smell and taste as allies in weight loss. Sprinkling Tastants on your foodmakes you feel fuller faster by stimulating the part of your brain that tellsyour body it’s time to stop eating.”
• Sensa was proven effective in one of the largest clinical studies everperformed on a non-prescription weight-loss product.“Over a 6-month period, 1436 women and men between the ages of 19 and 55 whosprinkled Tastants on everything they ate lost an average of 30.5 pounds. Noother weight-loss product has such extraordinary clinical results.”

Sensa- How it curbs your appetite?

Sprinkle diet seems a very simple and easy to adopt regimen for weight lossaspirants. It makes sense to understand how Sensa works on a neurological level- According to Dr. Hirsch’s research

• Scents from Sensa Tastants travel through your nose to nerve receptors.
• The receptors send signals to the brain that stimulate the olfactory bulb.
• The olfactory bulb, in turn, signals the satiety center in the hypothalamus.
• The hypothalamus sends signals to the pituitary gland that triggers therelease of hormones that suppress hunger and appetite.
• We all know that sensory nerves of smell and taste are inter-connected.According to Dr. Hirsch – As you eat, the two senses work together to stimulatean area of the brain called the “satiety center,” which tells your body whenit’s time to stop eating. By enhancing smell (sensory input), Sensa Tastantshelp to enable the brain-stomach connection and trigger the “feel full” signal.
• When you first start on the Sensa program, the Tastants do all the work. Overtime, you will begin to intuitively understand portion control and develophealthier eating habits, without having to give up any of your favorite foods.

Sensa – The Ingredients

The ingredients of Sensa are worth mentioning and some of them might raise someeyebrows.

• Maltodextrin
• Tricalcium Phosphate
• Silica
• Natural and Artificial Flavors
• FD&C Yellow 5
• Carmine
• Contains Soy and Milk ingredients

I might be a bit concerned about 2 of the ingredients: Natural flavors/naturalflavoring is another name for MSG and maltodextrin very likely contains MSG.

Sensa Advantages

• The major advantage for Sensa Sprinkle diet is convenience. You do not have toworry about the amount of calories and carbohydrates that you consume.
• Negligible change in the existing lifestyle

Dr. Hirsch said that the long term effects and safety of Sensa diet haven’t beenstudy yet.Hirsch says to eat low-calorie foods with lots of seasonings, sniff your foodbefore you eat it and then chew it a lot.

Sensa – Consumers’ view

Sensa , the sprinkle diet has been adopted by a lot of weight loss aspirants -but then like every other drug or nutritional product, it needs to be questionedfrom a customers’ point of view.

• Lack of nutritional education – This diet does not advise the audience to thedangers of eating processed and junk food but rather tells them to sprinkle Sensa and the rest will be taken care of.
• Absence of an accompanying exercise plan – The Sprinkle Diet does nothing topromote regular cardiovascular activity or strength training. Any expert mightadvise against a unilateral process of losing weight.
• Absence of Long term effects and results- There are no stats on long termimpact of taking sensa and for how long we need to continue. This has beenaccepted by Dr. Hirsch himself.
• Added ingredients – How many would you like something sprinkled on your food- particularly if you enjoy food as it is.

Sensa pricingIt is $210 for six months supply. It is rather pricey for weight loss products.

Conclusion

A lot of factors turn the scale in Sensa’s favor but then there are a lot ofquestions that can be raised too – and this is important because of the lack ofclinical case studies and long term impact studies. Our job is put the facts andfigures in front of the consumers so that they can make the best call. If Sensais a safe and long term solution to the weight loss epidemic, then it should bewelcomed and prescribed. But, then it Dr. Hirsch’s responsibility to include amore exhaustive clinical study which involves reliable factors and subjects ofexperiments.