Will Taking T3 With Hcg Cause Weight Loss?

What Is hCG?

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a protein hormone produced in women during pregnancy. hCG works to protect the fetus and help the mother's body sustain a healthy pregnancy. Pregnancy tests actually detect hCG to determine whether a woman is pregnant. hCG can also help the body burn fat for fuel more efficiently. This has led to research investigating how to use hCG as a weight-loss aid. The rationale is that hCG helps the body burn excess fat while sparing muscle and water loss that usually occurs with weight loss. While approved for use in Europe for many years, the U.S. FDA has not approved the practice of administering hCG for weight loss. It can be administered by a physician, though, and usually is used in conjunction with strict dietary recommendations.

What Is T3?

T3 is short for Triiodothyronine, a type of thyroid hormone. The thyroid gland, located in the lower part of the neck along the trachea, secretes three types of hormones that regulate metabolism and affect virtually every tissue in the body. These hormones determine how many calories the body burns for maintenance--known as your basal metabolic rate or "resting" metabolism. Thyroid disorders occur when there is an imbalance of these hormones that can result in abnormal weight gain or loss. Disorders can also be caused by imbalances of hormones from the pituitary gland in the brain that regulates the thyroid.

Weight Loss Hope with T3 and hCG?

Taking T3 with hCG might help with weight loss. Work with a physician to determine if your T3 levels are normal or in need of a boost. Your doctor can also check for abnormal levels of TRH, TSH and reverse T3, which all play a role in maintaining healthy thyroid hormone levels and a normal metabolism. Using hCG for weight loss is still a controversial practice in the United States. It has been researched continuously since the 1960s with no positive conclusions to promote using hCG for weight loss. Discouraged as ineffective by the "Journal of the American Medical Association," the "Archives of Internal Medicine" and the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," most practitioners recommend diet and exercise interventions instead. Yet many clinicians do still prescribe hCG injections as part of a weight loss program.