Does Increasing The Dosage Of Hcg Cause Weight Loss?

Human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG, is a hormone present in women during pregnancy. In the 1950s, Dr. Albert T. W. Simeons from Salvatore Mundi International Hospital in Rome proposed HCG as a weight loss supplement in conjunction with a severe calorie restriction diet. HCG is not designed as a weight loss aid, however, and clinical trials have not shown it effective for this purpose at any dose.

Dosing Guidelines

Following Simeons’ original diet plan, patients take 125 IU of HCG daily through an injection to promote weight loss. While taking HCG on this plan, you also restrict your caloric intake to around 500 calories per day for three and one-half to six weeks. Some studies have seen patients taking as much as 250 IU or 5,000 IU of HCG daily. Even with an increased dosage, most studies have found that HCG is no more effective for weight loss than a placebo.

Proposed Effects

Simeons’ diet plan faded in popuiarity in the 1960s, but a 2007 best-selling book by Kevin Trudeau revived it. Registered dietitian Jennifer Nelson of the Mayo Clinic states that Trudeau’s reincarnation of the diet claims to help you lose weight and redistribute fat from your stomach and buttocks to form a more pleasing shape. There is no conclusive evidence that a 125 IU or higher dose of HCG provides any of these effects. Some proponents of HCG also claim that significant doses can suppress your hunger on the restricted calorie diet.

Weight Loss Effectiveness

In 1995, the “British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology” published a meta-analysis of HCG supplement research for weight loss. Out of 24 studies examined, three used doses higher than 125 IU per day. None of these trials returned positive weight loss results greater than the control groups on the same calorie restricted diet. The researchers concluded that the severe calorie restriction of the HCG diet is most likely responsible for any weight loss results you may experience.

HCG Safety

The FDA states that there is no scientific evidence proving that any amount of HCG is useful for weight loss, redistributing fat or decreasing hunger while cutting calories. Medical historian Philip Mackowiak, M.D., of the University of Maryland states that Simeon’s HCG may have been the cause of death for 1950s singer and movie star Mario Lanza. In addition to potentially unknown dangers from HCG, Nelson states that a very low calorie diet can lead to nutrient deficiencies, gallstones and rapid regaining of weight as soon as you stop the diet.