HCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin and is a hormone produced by women during pregnancy. The primary function of HCG is to promote the growth of the foetus by mobilizing fats and other nutrients from the mother's body. In the HCG diet you receive daily drops or injections of this hormone coupled with a restricted diet of no more than 500 calories per day. However the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not approve the use of HCG supplementation for weight loss purposes, as there is no evidence suggesting that it further enhances weight loss.
Metabolism Reduction
The HCG diet can lead to a weight loss of one to three pounds per day, which is considered a rapid weight loss. This exceeds the healthy moderate weight loss of two pounds per week recommended by the American Dietetic Association. Therefore it is very possible that during the HCG diet you will not only be losing fat but your body will also be breaking down a significant amount of protein from your muscle and organ tissue. This results from the fact that the amount of energy that the HCG diet provides is not enough to support basic vital functions. An article of 2009 on HealthKey.com states that "losing too much lean tissue can reduce your metabolism dramatically, which is also the reason the regain of the lost weight is so easy after the end of the diet." Additionally, excessive loss of protein could result in weak muscles and organ damage.
Gallstones
The Mayo Clinic nutritionist Jennifer K. Nelson states in an article of 2010 that "the rapid weight loss induced in the HCG diet can lead to gallstones." According to HealthKey.com, obese people who use very low calorie diets have a greater possibility of developing gallstones than those who follow a moderate weight loss diet. This risk increases when the weight loss rate exceeds three pounds per week, reports the U.S Department of Health and Human Services.
Nutrient Deficiency
The low amount of 500 calories per day used during the HCG supplementation makes it almost impossible for the HCG diet to meet the vitamin and mineral needs of the average adult, as stated by the Mayo Clinic. In other words, the food intake during the HCG diet is not enough to provide the body with the recommended amounts of nutrients such as calcium, iron and fiber. As a result, according to HealthKey.com, these deficiencies can promote short-term conditions, like constipation, and several long-term complications, such as osteoporosis in women and anemia, that can be irreversible after the end of the diet, as well as other potentially fatal diseases.
Hormonal Disorders
The use of HCG as a weight-loss method may have severe side effects regarding the hormonal response of the dieters. According to the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, these include conditions like ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome (OHSS) in women, which can be life-threatening, and the induction of abnormal enlargement of breasts in men. Other side effects of HCG supplementation include excessive fluid retention (edema), hair loss and prostate hypertrophy.
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