Fad diets have been around for generations. Magazines and talk show hosts may sing the praises of a particular fad diet--until it's proven the diet is merely a passing phase. The HCG Diet has been around since 1954, and since that time it has been revered and reviled for its techniques.
History
In 1954, British physician A.T.W. Simeons described a diet plan which reduced calorie intake to 500 calories per day, supplemented with HCG. The purpose of the HCG injections was to reduce hunger, improve mood and increase spot reduction in the abdominal region, which is the problem area for most overweight women. The diet, as created by Dr. Simeons, lasts four to six weeks.
Function
The HCG diet restricts people to 500 calories per day with two meals that must be strictly adhered to. Patients were encouraged to drink at least eight to 10 glasses of water per day. The first three days required very precise eating and fasting. They were allowed to eat all they wanted of designated foods until fasting time began. On the fourth day, a more rigid diet restricted patients to one choice of each group: protein, fruits, vegetables and breads. A food journal was required to encourage adherence.
Significance of HCG
In the original Simeons study, published in the Lancet medical journal, patients were injected with 125 IU HCG once per day for the length of the program. HCG, which is the human pregnancy hormone, comes in injectable, sublingual and transdermal forms. No studies exist comparing forms of HCG, though transdermal and sublingual variations deteriorate easily and become useless. The purpose of taking HCG supplements, according to a 1973 study by W. L. Asher M.D. and Harold W. Harper M.D., published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was to reduce hunger, improve overall mood and for spot reduction, primarily in the abdominal region. These claims cannot be substantiated; in 1976, the FTC ordered Dr. Simeons to stop making claims that the diet was safe.
Benefits
The HCG diet does cause weight loss. However, weight loss appears to be from eating only 500 calories per day. According to the diet's own creator, Dr. Simeons, no one should lose more weight when using HCG as opposed to those not using HCG. In the Asher-Harper study, the average six-week weight loss was almost 11.5 pounds, which is less than 2 lbs. lost per week.
Warning
In the original studies by Simeon and Asher-Harper, if patients weren't losing enough weight they were removed from the study for failure to adhere to the program. This effectively skewed the study results. Their studies also failed to follow up with patients to determine if the weight had been kept off long term. Studies published in 1977 in the Archives of Internal Medicine and the Western Journal of Medicine revealed that HCG injected had no affect on weight loss, mood or hunger. This diet should be used with extreme caution and only under the guidance of your doctor.
References
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Chorionic Gonadotropin and Obesity?; M Albrink; June 1969
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Effect of human chorionic gonadotrophin on weight loss, hunger, and feeling of well-being; WL Asher and HW Harper; February 1973
- "Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde"; Risk-benefit analysis of a hCG-500 kcal reducing diet in females; T Rabe et. al.; May 1987
- Diet Scam: HCG Worthless As A Weght Loss Aid
- "Western Journal of Medicine"; HCG in the Treatment of Obesity; FL Greenway and GA Bray; December 1977
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