As Dr. Mark I. Friedman, associate director of Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, pointed out last year in an article about Sensa in The New York Times, "There's no scientific evidence that smelling or tasting flavors is going to suppress your intake over a nutritionally significant level."
– Scientists may be dubious about their actual benefits, but Sensa diet crystals are set to go global anyway, reports Slashfood. The products claims to make the scent of food—and therefore the flavor—more intense. The idea is that a more intense flavor will make dieters feel fuller after eating less. The supposedly appetite-suppressing crystals have been available in the US for two years now, but the product is set to debut in Canada, Mexico, Britain, and Germany. Dieters considering them may want to heed the words of Dr. Mark Friedman, an expert on taste and smell: "There's no scientific evidence that smelling or tasting flavors is going to suppress your intake over a nutritionally significant level." (The quote appears in Slashfood via this New York Times article.)