An old diet idea is making a comeback, the HGC diet. Some people say it works, some say it makes them sick. It is not certain if taking this hormone is safe and the diet only allows you to eat 500 calories per day. There are health risks with the HCG diet you should be aware of before you start it.
There is a reinvented diet being promoted called the HCG diet and there are some health risks with this diet you should be aware of.
What Is HCG?
HCG is human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone produced by pregnant women. It can sometimes be found in men at very low levels. HCG is not approved by the FDA for weight loss but is approved for other health problems including fertility treatments for women.
What Is the HCG Diet?
The HCG diet is not new; it has been around since the 1950s. Just like diet pills, people think this is completely safe. The HCG diet is being touted as a healthy way to lose a lot of weight, have more energy and especially lose inches, all in about 3 to 6 weeks. These are not healthy ways to lose weight.
Since HCG is supposed to help pregnant woman keep up their energy and support the growth of a healthy baby even when the mother cannot eat because of morning sickness, the thought is that HCG helps the pregnant women utilize fat and turn it into healthy food for the baby, it will do the same for any of us.
The promoters of the HCG diet claim that the diet will suppress your appetite, burn the stored bad fat like belly fat and redistribute the fat. The claim is, you will lose the fat and not lose muscle on such a low-calorie diet, all because of the HCG injections.
The History Behind the HCG Diet
The first doctor to study and prescribe HCG for weight loss was a British doctor, Dr. A.T.W. Simeons. He believed that small injections of HCG with a low-calorie diet high in protein would stimulate lipolytic functions of the body. The lipolytic function is the function of breaking down fats to use for energy.
In 1976, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ordered the Simeon Management Corporation, Simeon Weight Clinics Foundation, Bariatrics Management Corporation, C.M. Norcal, Inc., and HCG Weight Clinics Foundation to stop promoting their HCG weight loss programs as effective, safe or FDA approved for weight loss.
Sudden New Interest in the HCG Diet
New interest in the HCG diet is mainly because Kevin Trudeau, infamous author, and infomercial salesman, wrote a book in 2007 promoting this diet. In 2007, Kevin Trudeau violated a court order by misrepresenting the contents of the book in infomercials and was ordered to pay $37 million.
Kevin Trudeau is not a doctor; he is an author and a salesman and has written numerous books about how to get your money, wealth creation and natural remedies.
Health Risks of Eating Only 500 Calories per Day
The HCG diet says you are to eat two meals each consisting of only 250 calories per meal. To put this in perspective, 250 calories is equal to about 2 1/2 pieces of bread.
Eating only 500 calories per day is dangerous to your health and body. Every organ in your body needs the right amount of calories, including your heart and brain. And 500 calories is far below this minimum requirement.
The minimum amount is called the Basal Metabolic Rate, the amount of calories your body needs if we're to rest 24 hours to keep your body functioning in a healthy way. Women shouldn’t eat less than 1200 calories per day and men not less than 1800 calories per day.
The health risks of eating only 500 calories per day would include loss of muscle and lowering your metabolic rate, which would then cause you to burn fewer calories.
Health Risks of the HCG Diet
There are health risks when taking HCG other than eating only 500 calories per day.
One of these risks include Potentially life-threatening ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), call your doctor immediately if you have severe pelvic pain, stomach pain, swelling of the hands and feet, stomach swelling, weight gain, shortness of breath, vomiting, diarrhea and urinating less than normal. Other health problems can occur like:
- Mood swings
- Headaches
- Swelling breasts and water retention
- Increased risk of blood clots
- Restlessness
- Depression
- Hypoglycemia
- Gout
Do not use HCG if you are pregnant, it can cause birth defects.
Call your doctor if you have the symptoms of pain, warmth, tingling in your arms or legs, redness, severe headache, extreme dizziness, and confusion.
Before You Start the HCG Diet
Many people who are doing this diet are just buying the HCG off of the internet and starting the diet from instructions in the book. Not even sure if what you are paying for is HCG or the right amount. You need to talk to a qualified doctor since there are health risks. You must talk to a doctor first if you have:
- A hormone-related cancer or any cancer
- Thyroid or adrenal gland disorder
- Kidney disease
- Epilepsy
- Migraines
- Asthma
- And numerous other medical conditions
HCG Diet Studies
In 1995, Dutch scientists looked at 24 studies concerning HCG and found that 12 studies were done correctly.
They did a meta-analysis of these 12 studies and concluded that there is no scientific evidence that the hormone HCG is effective in the treatment of obesity, weight loss, fat redistribution or reducing hunger pains on such a low-calorie diet.
One study out of 12 did find HCG was useful in weight loss [2].
In 1973, the Asher, Harper study had 40 women ages 18 and older participate in a double-blind placebo study for 36 weeks. The conclusion was that the group receiving the HCG lost significantly more weight than the placebo group.
The doctors who conducted the test did conclude that the reason for such a large difference in weight loss was because those receiving the placebo did not adhere to the strict diet.
They reasoned that this is probably because the patients receiving the placebo felt more hunger than the HCG group did [3].
A 1975 double-blind placebo-controlled study with 51 women between the ages of 18 and 60 participated in this study. This study was to try and duplicate the findings of the Asher, Harper study.
Each group ate the strict 500 calories per day, one group received the HCG hormone and the other group received a placebo.
Healthier Ways to Lose Weight
There are far healthier ways to lose weight. You can stop eating junk food and processed food. You can stop eating at fast food restaurants.
All of those foods have too many empty calories and chemicals that can cause you to gain weight. Other healthy ways you can eat to lose excess weight and body fat include:
- A whole food plant-based diet
- A Mediterranean diet
- The DASH diet
- A calorie restriction diet
- A higher protein lower carbohydrate diet
Conclusion
It is very hard to tell the facts from the hype about the HCG diet. There seem to be many thousands of people on the internet getting paid to promote and sell the HCG hormone that never mentions the health risks of the HCG diet.
Studies have shown that people eating 500 calories per day and a placebo instead of the HCG also lost weight, so save your money and learn to eat a healthy diet, every day.
About the Author
Sam Montana is a certified Food Over Medicine instructor from the Wellness Forum Health Center and certified in optimal nutrition from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Copyright © July 2010 Sam Montana
