The HCG diet was conceived in 1950s by a British endocrinologist who discovered that the hormone combined with a very low-calorie diet could result in dramatic weight loss. Human chorionic gonadotrophin, or HCG, is formed in the placenta during pregnancy. Proponents of HCG diets claim that the hormone changes how the body metabolizes fat and eliminates hunger pangs. The regimen also has serious risks. Consult a physician before beginning any new diet.
Prescription HCG
HCG was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of infertility. Doctors are permitted to administer HCG injections to patients for off-label purposes, such as for weight loss. Christopher Kelly, an FDA spokesperson, has confirmed a report, however, that a man receiving HCG injections for weight loss suffered a pulmonary embolism. A pulmonary embolism is a potentially deadly condition that occurs when one or more arteries in the lungs are blocked from a blood clot that originates in another part of the body. Symptoms include a rapid or irregular heartbeat.
Over-the-Counter HCG
HCG sold in health food stores is classified as a homeopathic supplement, which uses a tiny amount of the hormone and dilutes it to the point that only miniscule amounts are traceable. Supplements are not regulated by the FDA, making investigating these products a low priority for the agency. What brought HCG supplements to the attention of the FDA were claims that they could cause weight loss. Elizabeth Miller, fraud investigator for the FDA, says that over-the-counter HCG poses no known threat or health hazard and that there's no evidence that it's an effective weight loss tool.
Calories
A key component of the HCG plan is a very low-calorie diet. The diet requires you to take in between 500 and 550 calories a day, which has been described as near starvation by Dr. Stephen Barrett of Diet Scam Watch. Even a medically supervised very low-calorie diet allows you to consume 800 calories a day. In 1989, researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle found that the deaths of people on a very low-calorie diet have been attributed to cardiac arrhythmias, a condition that causes the heart to beat irregularly.
About the Diet
The HCG diet has its supporters and skeptics. Some doctors, according to the New York Times, are impressed by it's weight loss results. Others, however, fear putting their patients on a plan that could potentially have cardiac implications. One orthodontist in New York counsels patients on an HCG diet but won't administer the hormone to anyone unless they have an EKG, a test that records the heart's electrical activity. Dr. Martin Keltz, a New York based endocrinologist, acknowledges that he's impressed with the possibility that HCG may redistribute fat, but fears that the cardiovascular risks outweigh the possible weight loss results.
References
- New York Times: Diet Plan with Hormone Has Fans and Skeptics; March 2011
- MayoClinic.com: Pulmonary Embolism; September 2009
- PubMed.gov: Preliminary Assessment of Very Low Calorie Diets by Conventional Signal-Average Electrocardiography; DS Weigle; 1989
- Diet Scam Watch: HCG Worthless As Weight Loss Aid; Stephen Barrett, MD; May 2010
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