Appetite Suppressant Lollipops?

Do appetite suppressant lollipops work? As we will see, probably not.

However, they have received a recent boom of attention after an endorsement from Mrs. Kim Kardashian, alongside an earlier episode of the Doctor Oz show claiming saffron, the proposed active ingredient in the lollipops, as a “miracle appetite suppressant to kill your hunger.”

I wished they had called me first, since the claims are not actually supported by the research. So, Kim, in the future, please feel free to call me on stuff like this - because this myth is actually a great example of two common tactics that entice us to believe mythical claims.

The first is based on the 'magic ingredient effect', where some ingredient has been been miraculously or scientifically discovered to be so effective it can make any product outstanding.

For example, certain soaps from the 1920s appeared to have a magical ingredient to reduce flesh or fat, but when analyzed in 1929 they were found to be ordinary toilet soap adulterated with talc.⁵

In the case of these lollipops, the supposed magical ingredient is satiereal. It comes from the stigma of the saffron flower, which are dried and crushed into a powder. This website states that satiereal is clinically proven, but no studies were cited, nor did I find any clinical studies in my search.

I did find a few studies, that are likely culprits, and highlight a second tactic that is commonly paired with the magic ingredient effect - hyperbole - especially exaggerating research findings to support astonishing claims and effects of the magic ingredient.

For example, in this study, researchers compared 2 capsules of satiereal per day (176 mg) for 8 weeks versus a placebo pill in around 60 “mildly overweight women”.⁴

The one question on satiety was not significantly different than the placebo, despite saying satiety did increase in the title of the study. Not sure how that slipped by the reviewers.

The one question on hunger was statistically different, with the satiereal group self-reporting feeling less hungry before meals on a 5-point scale from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree, but only a measly 0.74 units.

You can see the classic case of hyperbole of results to make them sound better than they really are. Yes, they were statistically different, but not clinically different - or different for real world application - which is unfortunately, not uncommon in studies funded by the company who makes the supplement.

I did find a couple of other studies with little support for satiereal and suppressing one’s appetite. This study³ had overweight adults take 2 capsules totaling 178 mg of satiereal for 28 days. Using a 15-cm line from low to high they found minimal average change from week 1 to week 4. Satiety ratings sightly increased from 8.2 to 10.6. Similarly, fullness ratings increased from 8.7 to 9.9, and hunger slightly decreased from 6.5 to 5.2. So, based on this study, you should only expect about a 1 cm change on the 15-cm scale.

Similarly, this study¹ looked at 1 capsule of 30 mg of saffron extract per day for 2 weeks in patients with coronary artery disease. Using a 100-mm line, they found a 'whopping' 3mm change in satiety, fullness, and hunger. That’s it.

A few final things to note. First, these studies used around 175-180 mg of satiereal per day. I could not find how much satiereal was in the lollipops, but if there is not 175-180 mg, then we cannot even compare the minimal results found in the research. My guess is that there is not that much in each lollipop, but who knows?

Finally, the prescription is 1-2 lollipops per day. Each lollipop has 9 grams of simple carbohydrate, with 7 grams being added sugar - the first two ingredients, and no fiber. So, this prescription would add 18 grams to one’s daily intake. The American Heart Association² recommends less than 25 grams per day for women, so two lollipops are nearly 75% of the DAILY intake of sugar. That is a lot of sugar for likely no affect on appetite suppression.

So, I while I wait on Kim to call me, I will call the claim of appetite suppressant lollipops – ’busted’.

References

1. Abedimanesh, N., Bathaie, S. Z., Abedimanesh, S., Motlagh, B., Separham, A., & Ostadrahimi, A. (2017). Saffron and crocin improved appetite, dietary intakes and body composition in patients with coronary artery disease. Journal of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Research, 9(4), 200.
2. American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/Sugar-101_UCM_306024_Article.jsp#.WzfM9y2ZPOQ
3. Gonzalez, A. M., Sell, K. M., Ghigiarelli, J. J., Spitz, R. W., Accetta, M. R., & Mangine, G. T. (2018). Effect of Multi-Ingredient Supplement Containing Satiereal, Naringin, and Vitamin D on Body Composition, Mood, and Satiety in Overweight Adults. Journal of Dietary Supplements, 1-12.
4. Gout, B., Bourges, C., & Paineau-Dubreuil, S. (2010). Satiereal, a Crocus sativus L extract, reduces snacking and increases satiety in a randomized placebo-controlled study of mildly overweight, healthy women. Nutrition Research, 30(5), 305-313.
5. Queensland. Report of the Government Analyst for the year ending June 30th, 1929. The Analyst, 54(645), 746b-748.