Alan Hirsch (neurologist) Cusp Conference 2009 (cropped)

Sensa is an American brand of diet aid created by Alan Hirsch, an American

neurologist Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal c ...

and

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

. The product lacks scientific evidence of effect and has been the subject of controversy and lawsuits. Following a $26 million fine by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in 2014, the company ceased operations.

Claims

According to the advertisements promoting the Sensa diet, you can eat your favorite foods without counting calories, deprivation, or cravings. All that is needed is to sprinkle all the food one eats with flavor-enhancing Sensa crystals, and that will result in weight-loss.Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD
The Truth About Sensa
Can 'The Sprinkle Diet' really help you lose weight? WebMD. Retrieved 21 February 2014. These "Sensa crystals" were developed by Alan Hirsch, MD, the founder and neurologic director of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. The Sensa crystals (or "tastants") are said to promote feelings of fullness and, ultimately, weight loss. If a person sticks with Sensa, the website claims that a person could lose 30 pounds in six months.

Background

Hirsch says there was a peer-reviewed study by the

Endocrine Society The Endocrine Society is a professional, international medical organization in the field of endocrinology and metabolism, founded in 1916 as The Association for the Study of Internal Secretions. The official name of the organization was changed ...

supporting the claim that subjects lost over thirty pounds using Sensa. However, the Endocrine Society says they did not review the study. On ABC's news magazine program ''

20/20 Visual acuity (VA) commonly refers to the clarity of vision, but technically rates an examinee's ability to recognize small details with precision. Visual acuity is dependent on optical and neural factors, i.e. (1) the sharpness of the retinal ...

'', the Endocrine Society stated they "were surprised and troubled by the promotional nature of his presentation." Senla was owned and marketed by Senla Products, LLC, its parent company, Senla, Inc., formerly Intelligent Beauty, Inc. The CEO of Senla Products, LLC was Adam Goldenberg. Intelligent Beauty was renamed JustFab Inc and is now known as TechStyle. Adam is currently the co-CEO of TechStyle

Controversy and lawsuits

None of Sensa's internal studies have been confirmed by peer-reviewed medical journals. Critiques of Sensa-claimed research and Dr. Hirsch's research include: (1) the studies were not blinded in any directions (both researchers and subjects knew who was given Sensa and who was given a placebo, which is a conflict of interest and exposes the study to outcomes driven by the placebo effect), (2) the studies have not been open to peer review or verified by any independent medical or health organization, (3) the results have not been duplicated, (4) all studies have been conducted by organizations that are affiliated with Sensa and stand to gain financial compensation (conflicts of interests), (5) Sensa's statistical claims in their infomercials largely contradict information shown on product patents, and (6) experts from the fields of medicine that Sensa is derived from and medical experts which study and treat health-weight issues have consistently disagreed with the scientific reasoning behind Sensa, noting on numerous occasions that none of the ingredients in Sensa have shown any of the properties that the product is claimed to have. In 2013, the marketers of Sensa paid to settle false advertising charges in California after an investigation by the Statewide Nutritional Supplement Task Force determined they were making unsubstantiated claims regarding the efficacy of their products and making unauthorized charges to customers. On January 7, 2014, the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction o ...

(FTC) assessed a $26.5 million fine against the company to settle charges of unfounded weight-loss claims. Under the order, the defendants are barred from making weight-loss claims about dietary supplements, foods, or drugs, unless they have two adequate and well-controlled human clinical studies supporting the claims; making any other health-related claim unless it is supported by competent and reliable scientific tests, analyses, research, or studies; and misrepresenting any scientific evidence. In October 2014, Sensa declared

insolvency In accounting, insolvency is the state of being unable to pay the debts, by a person or company ( debtor), at maturity; those in a state of insolvency are said to be ''insolvent''. There are two forms: cash-flow insolvency and balance-shee ...

and ceased operations, and entered into an

assignment for the benefit of creditors A general assignment or assignment is a concept in bankruptcy law in which an insolvent entity's assets are assigned to someone as an alternative to a bankruptcy. One form is an "assignment for the benefit of creditors", abbreviated ABC or AFBC. ...

. In December 2014, the FTC announced that it was sending 477,083 refund checks totaling $26,023,329 to consumers who purchased the weight-loss supplement.

References

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