Does Sensa Work?

Dear Nicki,
I was wondering if the appetite suppressant Sensa works, the one you sprinkle on food.
-Jamie
Dear Jamie,
SENSA ($36.00 for 1-month starter kit, Amazon.com) uses the same technology as a few of the trickier buffers out there:  That is, it uses malodextrin (also known as cornstarch), a creamy-white powder that is often sprayed on food to make you feel fuller longer.  Chemically speaking, malodextrin is classified as a polysaccharide, comprised of interlinked D-glucose chains and α1-4 glycosidic bonds.  It is easily digestible.
Interestingly enough, unlike some nutritional supplements out there, SENSA is backed by pure medical science.  In a 2010 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, malodextrin was found to significantly decrease food intake 30 minutes after a meal, making it a possible deterrant for dessert-addicts.  In the same study, malodextrin was also found to stabilize blood sugar for two hours following its administration.  Pretty exciting!
The warnings
The main issue is whether or not you are a person who pays to internal cues or not.  By this mean, do you often eat when you aren’t even hungry?  I’m pretty controlled, but I don’t care if I just had a bowl of cereal or not, if one of my friends offers to go to my favorite Szechuan restaurant, it’s on, with all of the delicious high-carb, oil-covered trappings.
If you are attuned to appetite cues, science says that consuming a high-fat item, such as a bowl of high-fat soup, decreases appetite for longer than items with high carbohydrates (Physiology & Behavior, 1999).  This may be because the human appetite evolved to desire sugary, fatty items in order to have significant energy storage through long winter periods.  For instance, I find I am full for hours following a bowl of Campbell’s Chunky Baked Potato Soup.  While high in fat, sodium, and carbohydrates, I can’t bear to eat much more for at least three to four hours afterwards.
Bottom Line
If you are a person who eats a lot because you are constantly hungry, try using SENSA ($36.00 for 1-month starter kit, Amazon.com).  The malodextrin is clinically proven to stabilize blood sugar and decrease food intake.  Bonus points if you add in tricks like the Fletcher method (chewing each bite of food 25 times), eating on blue dishes or placemats (source), eat with the wrong hand occasionally (Personality and Social Bulletin, 2011) and use a large fork (Journal of Consumer Research, 2010) – all of which have been associated with decreased food intake over time.
On the other hand, if you eat a lot even when you are not hungry, then that’s a different issue altogether.  SENSA may still help you, but would probably be better off figuring out the reasons why you overeat, whether they be emotional, habitual, or environmental, and combating those triggers.  For instance, if you overeat because you are stressed, try yoga, meditation, power naps, or journaling.  If you overeat because of habit, write down in a journal each food and time you eat, and review nightly.  Over time, you will want to take action and reverse your habits.  Or if it’s environmental, change up your habits:  Go walking with a friend instead of dining out.  Cook a separate meal for yourself, and don’t prepare meals that make it hard not to indulge.  Avoid restaurants that make you overeat.
If you want to lose weight, you have to be as serious about the process as you are your most prized achievements in life.  It’s not vain and it’s not superficial:  It’s for your health, well-being, self-esteem, and longevity.  And what could be more important than that?!