A human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG, diet is a protocol designed to promote rapid weight loss. HCG is a hormone produced in the placenta. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it for the treatment of hormonal disorders and infertility, and doctors prescribe it off-label for the treatment of overweight and obesity. An HCG diet consists of 26 days of intense calorie restriction and 23 days of hormone injections, a combination that can cause anxiety.
Diet
One of the main components of an HCG protocol is a very low calorie diet. Participants are permitted to consume only about 500 calories a day. According to the National Institutes of Health, a healthy grown woman needs at least 1,200 calories a day and a healthy grown man requires about 1,500 calories a day. At 500 calories, the HCG diet provides a small fraction of the energy a person needs for normal functioning. Not getting enough nutrients and energy, reports Columbia University's health information website, Go Ask Alice!, "often makes people hungry, tired, cranky, frustrated, depressed, deprived, annoyed, and anxious."
Hormone Injection
The FDA approved HCG injections for the treatment of infertility in women and hormonal abnormalities, such as undescended testes and hypogonadism in males. It is only available with a doctor's prescription. When HCG injections are used for the purposes of weight loss, FDA spokeswoman Shelly Burgess explains, they can cause blood clots, headaches, irritability, fatigue, restlessness, depression, swelling, breast tenderness or enlargement. It's crucial to use HCG hormones under doctor supervision.
Supplements
HCG supplements, including tablets, capsules, drops, sprays and lozenges, are sold over the counter in health food stores, online and in vitamin shops. These products are not regulated by the FDA, and due to claims by manufacturers that supplemental HCG can produce rapid weight loss, the agency did an investigation. According to Burgess, homeopathic HCG "is not a recognized active ingredient in the Homeopathic Pharmacopia of the United States and is therefore not recognized by the FDA as a homeopathic drug." Since a tiny amount of the hormone is present in these compounds, however, the side effects are similar to those of HCG injections.
Warnings
If you are on an HCG protocol, feeling cranky and nervous should be the least of your problems. In a July 2011 "New York Times" article, Martin Keltz, M.D., a reproductive endocrinologist in New York City, says HCG presents a very real risk for cardiovascular complications and does not promote long-term healthy eating habits. The FDA has received at least one complaint of an HCG patient having a pulmonary embolism. The "New York Times" article also reports that one Manhattan-based doctor who supervises HCG patients requires new clients to rule out cardiovascular complications by having an EKG before starting an HCG protocol.
References
- "The New York Times"; Diet Plan With Hormone Has Fans and Skeptics; Anemona Hartocollis; March 2011
- "U.S. News and World Report"; Health: HCG Diet Dangers: Is Fast Weight Loss Worth the Risk?; Angela Haupt; March 2011
- Weight-control Information Network; Very Low Calorie Diets; August 2008
- MedlinePlus: Tips for Losing Weight
- HCG Diet Info; Pounds & Inches: A New Approach to Obesity; A.T.W. Simeons
- Shelly Burgess; U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Office of Public Affairs; Center for Drug Evaluation and Research; Silver Spring, MD
