There are many diets that have come in and out of the mainstream. Dieting -- the prospect of losing weight effortlessly -- appetite control and various other gimmicks have been used to market products, techniques and potions to the public. You have seen the cabbage soup, Atkin's and South Beach diets as well as both the Hollywood liquid and the Hollywood Cookie diet. The newest diet to be marketed is one that advertises the use of a hormone typically seen in pregnancy and some rare cancers.
What is hCG
Human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, is a protein that is tied to pregnancy. When you become pregnant, the developing fetus produces hCG, which signals that a pregnancy is implanted to the corpus luteum. This structure is responsible for the production of progesterone in early pregnancy, and progesterone maintains the pregnancy, allowing it to progress. The hCG hormone also signals production of testosterone in the fetal testicles and aids in sexual differentiation. Abnormal high levels of hCG can be found in multiple fetus pregnancies and in abnormal pregnancies but also in some types of cancers such as trophoblastic neoplasms. These types of cancers originate from various fetal tissues.
History of the hCG Diet
According to Dr. Andrew Kaunitz from the University of Florida College of Medicine, the concept of using hCG is not cutting-edge science but can be traced back to the 1950s. Dr. A. Simeons began using a series of hCG injections with a high protein 500 calorie restricted diet. According to Dr. Kaunitz, the Simeons hCG diet gained traction and became popular over the next 20 years.
Current Research
A study done by GK Lijesen et al. in 1995 reviewed a total of 24 trials that measured the effects of hCG for the treatment of obesity. The measures included total weight loss, fat redistribution, hunger and feeling of well-being. The studies were then looked at for quality of data and scientific method; 12 were selected for analysis, and only one found hCG as helpful in weight loss.
Does hCG Affect Appetite
Weight loss achieved while on the hCG diet can be attributed to the strict diet, and there is little to no scientific evidence to suggest hCG works to decrease appetite or to reduce weight. The recent increase in advocacy for hCG as a weight loss treatment prompted the American Society of Bariatric Physicians to offer an opinion not recommending hCG injections due to lack of evidence showing it works to reduce weight.
References
- "Williams Obstetrics"; FG Cunningham et al.; 2010
- "Lancet"; The Action of Chorionic Gonadotrophin in the Obese; AT Simeons, 1954
- American Society of Bariatric Physicians. ASBP Position On Use of HCG in the Treatment of Obesity.
- "Brittish Journal of Clinical Pharmacology"; The Effect of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) in the Treatment of Obesity by Means of the Simeons Therapy: A Criteria-Based Meta-Analysis; GK Lijesen et al.; 1995
