An HCG diet is a crash diet that users and some doctors believe can deliver a 30-pound reduction in fat over the course of just one month. HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, treats hormone disorders in men. In the 1950s, British endocrinologist, A.T.W. Simeons found that a dose a day, combined with a very low calorie diet, or VLCD, resulted in rapid and dramatic weight loss and eliminated stubborn fat. Talk to your doctor before trying a new diet.
About HCG
HCG was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of undescended testes and hypogonadism secondary to a pituitary deficiency in males. Stanford University reports that the hormone can also stimulate testosterone and sperm production. Dr. Simeons, who promoted the use of HCG in the 1950s to help obese young men shed excess fat, suggests that the hormone acts as an appetite suppressant. In men, HCG was believed to be responsible for decreasing the circumference of the waist. However, without a calorie-restricted component, HCG was capable of doing little else -- in terms of weight reduction.
Calorie Restriction
If HCG was burning fat, Simeons surmised that the hormone was converting it into fuel and, therefore, the obese boys in his experiment could withstand a 500-calorie a day diet. Today, doctors prescribe HCG to dieters off label, or homeopathic HCG can be purchased over the counter at health food stores. Along with daily drops or injections, dieters are encouraged to eat fewer than 500 calories a day and eliminate all starch and sugars. It should be known that the reason men see a reduction in fat that so commonly and stubbornly accumulates around the belly and breasts is due mainly to calorie reduction. "They're hardly consuming any calories," says Pieter Cohen, MD, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, admitting that under those conditions, weight loss is all but guaranteed.
Side Effects
An HCG diet should be off limits to any males who have not yet hit puberty. HCG has been linked to precocious puberty in boys, a condition that promotes the onset of puberty early. In adult men, it can cause pain, tenderness and swelling of the breasts. The FDA received one report of a patient experiencing a potentially deadly pulmonary embolism while on an HCG diet. It can also increase the risk of developing blood clots. Eating just 500 calories a day, less than a third of what the National Institutes of Health suggests is the fewest number of calories a man should consume, can cause malnutrition, making men vulnerable to a host of different illnesses.
Considerations
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2003 to 2006 and 2007 to 2008 found that more than 72 percent of men in the United States are overweight and another 32 percent are obese. Gender-specific complications caused by excess fat include sleep apnea, rectum, prostate and colon cancer. In certain situations, such as when weight becomes a serious health concern, experts suggest going on a VLCD in order to reduce weight rapidly. The Weight-Control Information Network warns patients that VLCDs should be doctor-supervised and part of a comprehensive weight loss treatment program that includes physical activity and/or drug treatment.
References
- Drugs.com: HCG
- Weight-Control Information Network; Statistics; February 2010
- Weight-Control Information Network: Very Low Calorie Diets; August 2008
- Weight-Control Information Network: Understanding Adult Obesity; November 2008
- HCG Diet Info: "Pounds & Inches" by A.T.W. Simeons
- U.S. News Health: HCG Diet Dangers: Is Fast Weight Loss Worth the Risk? March 2011
Member Comments