Watch out for online diet scams

I have a friend who works for an internet marketing company. His company provides reviews of different dermatological acne care products, below all their reviews they include sponsored ads of products they are trying to sell.

As we talked, I was very surprised to find out that they employed students to quickly find internet products and crank out negative reviews. They don’t do much research, and they don’t have any background in the field. They just write content so people on the internet will find their website through the search engines.

This got me worried, I bet that people are out there right now cranking out dieting reviews, and churning out new dieting products. Please watch out for internet dieting scams. Because I am involved in this market, I see how many of the products are bogus or risky. When I consider a new product, I look at the scientific literature, the real world reviews, and the developers background. Be careful because in the dieting market there is little to no FDA regulation.

When you think you might have found the new, super-fix, dieting cure, think again. If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.

Is Sensa a scam?

Have you heard about the new weight loss powder that is becoming a big hit on the internet? It’s a white powder that you can sprinkle in your food to support weight loss.  The claim is that the white powder will curb your desire to eat through sensory signals.

My first impression. Their website looks very professional, with lots of testimonials, a doctor advocate, and some celebrity endorsements. When I first looked at the product I was careful. It seemed too good to be true. I had to take a moment think clearly about this new product.

Here is what is suspicious:

1. Their billing system: They tell you it’s a free trial kit. You can’t find the real price anywhere. I had to give up my address and phone number just to get to the page where they have this message.

You have a full 30 days to try your Sensa 2-Month Starter Kit. If you enjoy Sensa, do nothing. You’ll be billed one low payment of $89.95 on 11/1/2009. That’s a 23% SAVINGS off the retail price.


Plus, you’ll enjoy free enrollment in our Sensa AutoShip Delivery Service. You will automatically receive a fresh supply every 2 months so you never run out of Tastants. Plus you will lock in the low price of only $89.95 every 60 days, billed to your credit card, plus free shipping and handling. You save 23% on every shipment! If for any reason during the 30-day trial period you are dissatisfied with your Sensa 2-Month Starter Kit, simply return the products. Cancel at any time with no obligation.


CA, UT & CO residents will be charged sales tax at time of purchase. Customer is responsible for return postage. Questions? Contact a Sensa Customer Care Representative toll-free at (866) 514-2554

Hmmm…  $89.95 for small powder packages. Plus they automatically sign you up to buy more every 60 days. And if you don’t like the stuff, you pay for the return. These are red flags.

2. Their Research:

(Updated – 6/14/2010) Sensa has finally posted links to their research. They call upon Dr. Hirsch’s study called “Weight Reduction Through Inhalation of Odorants.” His study found some correlation between odorants and weight loss.

His sujects had an inhaler to administer the smells. Unlike the small packs they sell,  his subjects often used the inhaler up to 288 times a day. Also, the study states that the smells only worked for people that had specific traits:

  1. a great sense of smell (identified the apple odorant in the Chicago Smell Test)
  2. only ate 2-4 times a day,
  3. felt bad about overeating but not about themselves

Also, there were other correlations with the weight loss like frame-size, spending time with others, and eating certain foods (chocolate, apples and mints).

At the end of the study the doctor states that their may be some benefit to smells if coupled with a nutrition and exercise program.

Considering the importance of weight loss, this was a very small study. The product has few tests, and no other scientists have attempted to repeat the study to make sure it works. There is money to be made and I am afraid a product is being marketed on hype rather than science.

Another strong argument against using Sensa is that the study was only conducted for 6 months. I would question if the human body would become sensitized to these smells. Before you spend money on this, try a nutrition and exercise program like the doctor suggests. I bet you will get similar results without the smells and high costs.

See the study here:  http://www.aromapatch.com/Hirsch_Weight_Loss_Smell.pdf

3. What others are saying: I went to RipOffReport.com to see what others were saying. People did not seem happy with their marketing practices. There were some complaints about not getting a refund. This is a bad sign.

(added 2/10/2010 – Look at the comments below, we’ve had a big response about Sensa and you can see some of it right here.)

4. What have experts said? (added 9/4/2010)

I found it very humorous that Sensa boasted that they were listed on webMD in their TV commercial. If someone actually did their homework and read the webMD article they would see that it was negative towards Sensa. I guess Sensa didn’t expect us to be smart enough to even evaluate their sources.

WebMD points out that the study was not conducted as a Clinical Trial which is the gold standard for studies. WebMD also points out that Sensa has never been validated, nor published in a peer-reviewed medical journal. Their doctor, Pamela Peeke, MD said,

“[Sensa] is not a magic bullet. There is no magic sprinkle. This isn’t even a diet,” … “It oversimplifies the complex physiology and psychology associated with appetite.” She also points out that there is nothing unique about the list of ingredients in the tastants.

So will it really work? I doubt it. I imagine that in the beginning you might feel fuller and less hungry. But over time your body will just get used to the new smells and tastes. Honestly, this is not a good way to lose weight. Take the $89.95  (every 60 days) and buy a gym membership, Wii Fit, or more nutritious foods.

Is it long term? The main reason to avoid Sensa is because it is NOT a long term solution. You do not want to buy their product for the rest of your life to stay slim.

To learn more about safe weight loss principles visit Stop Dieting and Live

Sources:

http://www.ripoffreport.com/Search/sensa.aspx

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/truth-about-sensa

http://trysensa.com/

Acai Berries Scam

Acai Berries
photo (c) Breno Peck

The Acai-Berry Craze

Visit any website about health today and you will likely see an advertisement about, “Dr. Oz, acai berries, or the Oprah show.” There is a new acai berry craze coming all over the internet.  In fact, this craze is getting so bad that people are actually starting to deprive the native Brazilians of the berries in their rain forests.

What is so special about these berries? The answer is nothing. Research has shown them to be like most fruits. They are antioxidants, but scored lower in antioxidant potency than many common fruits including, strawberry and grapes. The acai powders and acai juices are the same, they are no better than common fruits and vegetables.

If you live in Brazil than it might be good to eat some berries every now and again. But if you don’t, than you are only wasting your money. There are many other great, healthy foods. Go enjoy some fresh strawberries or grapes.

Scam Alert

Most of these ‘miracle berry cure’ websites will offer you a free trial, beware! In the tiny print of the terms and conditions you will see that they are going to begin charging you a monthly subscription.  What is even worse is that some of these websites will only let you cancel your surprise subscription by phone. In rare cases they won’t even answer the phone number printed on their site and people have had to cancel their credit cards.

Here is a report on acai berries by the Better Business Bureau: http://www.bbb.org/us/article/8493

The acai berries picture was taken by Breno Peck, his profile can be found here:
Açaí

Hydroxycut is recalled by the FDA

Hydroxycut is recalled by the FDA

Hydroxycut is an over the counter weight loss supplement. It’s preported claims are to increase metabolism, inhance energy and increase weight loss.

However, the FDA just recalled this product from the market because it has been shown to cause liver damage. There have been 23 reports of liver problems as a result of this supplement. There has also been the reported death of a 19-year-old boy living in the Southwest.

This is a good example of how ‘quick fix’ weight loss pills and supplements don’t work. It’s important to realize that real weight loss takes some effort and hard work. There is really no way around it.

If you’ve taken Hydroxycut you might check out this website for more information.

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/hydroxycut/