Does the HCG diet work — and is it safe?

by Donna Dodge, R.D., L.D.N.

“HCG Diet injections help to free the fat, to burn it, and to evacuate it through the kidneys. Together with a low carb diet of 500kcal this avoids new fat immediately taking the place of the removed fat!”

 

Or so it says on one of the many popular web sites selling HCG for weight loss. Does this sound too good to be true? Let’s take a look….

 

Human chorionic gonadotropin or HCG is a hormone produced during pregnancy, first by the developing embryo and later by the placenta. As a prescription medication, HCG is used mainly to treat fertility issues.

Proponents of HCG say that it can help individuals lose weight, burn fat and redistribute fat away from their buttocks and stomach.

For weight loss, HCG is either injected or taken as a supplement. The accompanying diet with HCG requires a drastic reduction in calories, often a mere 500 calories a day.

 

Although researchers have studied HCG for years, no high-quality studies have shown that the hormone itself helps weight loss. Any very low calorie diet – and 500 calories is low! – is likely to result in weight loss, regardless of taking HCG. Severe calorie restriction not only makes it difficult to meet nutritional requirements, but it makes weight gain easier in the future. In addition, rapid weight loss can lead to gallstones and other problems.  And HCG itself can cause side effects, including headache, fatigue, irritability and male breast enlargement. Once the HCG program is stopped, weight gain is common.

 

The safety of HCG for weight loss is questionable, and the hormone itself has NOT been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for obesity or weight control. Most alarming is the fact that HCG bought on the Internet might be of questionable quality and purity.

 

The key to permanent weight loss is developing healthy eating and exercise habits — not following fad diets. When something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.