Sensa’s makers say that their product stimulates the olfactory bulb, which is the organ that transmits smell from the nose to the brain to signal that you are full.

“Eighty percent of what you perceive as taste is actually smell,” said Christopher Adams, a molecular biologist and the founder of Compellis Pharmaceuticals.

Adams’ company began testing a nasal spray that does the opposite of what Sensa does, but with hopefully the same results: curb the appetite by blocking instead of enhancing the smell of food.

I prefer enjoying the smell of food, don’t you?

“The hypothesis is that if we can alter your sense of smell we can make food less palatable, because the hedonic effect – that is, the pleasurable effect you get from eating chocolate – won’t be there,” says Adams.

Who wants to take the pleasure out of eating food? Not me.

Sensa is not cheap. A one-month supply costs $59, $145 for three months, and $235 for six months.

Some experts exclaim that further studies are needed. Some even doubt the connection between smell and weight loss.

Mark I. Friedman, associate director of Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, says that the sight, taste, and smell of food may result in the release of insulin and an increase in metabolism. However, “those kinds of effects are short-lived. If you constantly smelled something you would adapt to the odor, and you wouldn’t smell it anymore.”

(via: The New York Times)

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Smell: The Hidden Link to Weight Loss

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS EXPIRED. WINNERS WERE NOTIFIED 2/2/09 and 2/9/09. Thank you for your interest.

We’re giving away two six-month supplies of Sensa (valued at $235 each), the new appetite suppressant that helps you manage your weight. Simply join MyDIR, the new community at DietsInReview.com, and complete your profile to be eligible. The two winners will be selected in drawings February 2 and February 9, and notified via their MyDIR message center.

Sensa is a weight loss supplement that manages feelings of hunger. You simply sprinkle the Sensa Tastants on to the food you’re eating, and it triggers nerve receptors that signal satiety. Sensa is sodium-free, sugar-free, and calorie-free, and does not alter the taste of your food.

You can read our complete Sensa review here.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Sensa Six-Month Supply Giveaway

One of the latest class of products that are designed to help us lose weight are tasteless food additives that are sprinkled on food. Once ingested, they have the power to induce feelings of fullness by acting on certain areas of the brain. It’s kind of like what may happen if hoodia were to meet your salt shaker. But unlike many dietary supplements, these food additives don’t contain hoodia, drugs or any other stimulants.

One such product is Sensa.

“Sensa works with your sense of smell to curb your hunger without affecting the taste of your food. This induces something called ’sensory-specific satiety.’ It makes your brain perceive that you’ve eaten more than you have and, thus, you eat less and lose weight,” says Sensa Creator, Dr. Alan Hirsch.

In one 1,400-person clinical study, participants lost an average of 30 pounds over a six-month period while using Sensa tastants. The exact specifics of this study, which can severely alter the credibility of the study, are not known.

Sensa should not be confused with CalTrap, which is another food additive that contains extracts of an Asian plant that encapsulates up to 25% of the calories you ingest and allows it to be passed through your digestive tract without getting absorbed.

Sensa is instead, sprinkled on your food and imparts its magic by acting on your sense of smell, brain and sense of fullness. The end result is supposed to be a slimmer you as you register a feeling of being full even though your plate still has a good deal of food on it.

The ingredient list sounds fairly benign and since it was created by a medical doctor, one would hope that it was designed with sound science and safety standards in mind. I don’t know about you, but I’m fairly intrigued by this latest creation in food technology.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Sensa Diet Review: When Biology and Food Technology Meet