Landmark Studies Yield Surprising Results

CHICAGO - A series of studies conducted on Sensa, a new weight-loss technology that works solely on the sense of smell, showed an average weight loss of nearly 30 pounds.

In the first study, conducted by the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, 1,436 female and male participants lost an average of 30.5 pounds, roughly equal to 15% of their total body mass, on average.

In a follow up study conducted by an independent laboratory in Los Angeles, participants lost 27.6 pounds and about 14% of their body mass.

What makes the results significant is that researchers asked subjects not to change their normal eating or exercise habits.

Researchers Identify Link Between Smell and Weight Loss

The purpose of both studies was to test whether enhancing an eater's sense of smell can help prevent overeating, a hypothesis first put forth by Dr. Alan Hirsch, M.D., founder and neurological director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation.

"Contrary to what most people think, hunger is not controlled by your stomach - it's controlled by your brain, specifically the hypothalamus," Dr. Hirsch explains. "Certain scents can help set in motion a process that triggers your hypothalamus to send signals telling your body you've had enough to eat.

"What we've done is found a way to deliver the scents that can be added to food, in the form of flavorless crystals called Tastants, to prevent people from overeating."

Brain Trauma Research Leads to Weight-Loss Discovery

Hirsch is the first to admit that he's not a diet doctor. For much of his career, his focus was treating patients with smell and taste disorders.

But during the course of his clinical work with brain trauma patients who suffered smell disorders, he began uncovering important clues into the underlying mechanisms of hunger and appetite.

Specifically, he noted a trend where patients who had lost their sense of smell often gained 30 pounds or more. He theorized that if loss of smell leads to weight gain, the opposite might also be true - that enhancing smell could promote weight loss.

To test his theory, Hirsch developed Tastant crystals that could be sprinkled onto food to enhance olfactory input.

Will Powder: Can A Food Sprinkle Prevent Overeating?

Hirsch has conducted several large-scale clinical weight-loss studies on his Sensa Tastant crystals. In each case, the evide

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