Living Fitness

Some HCG diet dangers are attributable to the extremely low number of calories consumed on a daily basis, while others are more associated with the hormone itself. However, when any supplement is used in conjunction with a Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD), it’s often difficult to isolate the specific cause. Anyone considering hCG injections, prescription hCG drops or homeopathic hCG (HHCG) drops should familiarize himself or herself with some of the risks involved, and take the appropriate precautions.

Human Chondionic Gonadotropin (hCG) is a glycoprotein hormone produced by women upon pregnancy—its presence in testing is used to determine if a woman is pregnant. HGC was first extracted for medical use to increase fertility in women, but was adapted for use as an appetite suppressant in the 1950s to facilitate low calorie diets. Dr. A.T.W. Simeons found that his patients were able to maintain a diet of only 500 calories a day without experiencing hunger.

HCG Effectiveness Questioned

The FDA refuses to acknowledge hCG’s alleged appetite suppressant capabilities, and actually requires hCG products to carry a disclaimer stating that the hormone has not been proven to curb appetite or burn fat deposits—another claim made by Dr. Simeons. Most nutritionists discourage dieters from eating less than 1200 calories a day to ensure metabolic regulation. A VLCD that’s significantly under 1200 calories can lead to electrolyte imbalances, gallstones, loss of bone and loss of lean muscle tissue. Dr. Simeons, on the other hand, claimed that he patients lost fat and keeping lean muscle tissue.

He also insisted that the adipose tissues (fat stores) that hCG burned away were converted in enough energy to compensate for the drop in calories. The body normally burns three macronutrients: first carbohydrates, then fats, then proteins. On the hCG diet, carbohydrates are prohibited (as well as sugar, dairy and alcohol), so the body switches to burning accumulated fat once any stored carbs have been burned. This is supposed to explain both the rapid weight loss and the fact that patients experienced no fatigue—at least according to Dr. Simeons.

While there is a high volume of anecdotal testimonial online about the effectiveness of the hCG diet, independent clinical studies have not confirmed Simeons’ reports. In 1995, a review that analyzed 14 different clinical trials found that only two had proven to be more effective for weight loss on a VLCD supported by hCG injections than a VLCD supported by a salt-water placebo. The implication, shared by many medical skeptics, was that the weight loss was due exclusively to the low amount of food being consumed, and that the dieter’s ability to cope with such a restrictive diet had more to due with the power of suggestion than any biochemical properties of hCG per se.

Homeopathic HCG vs. Pure HCG

While many skeptics dismiss all claims of hCG’s effectiveness, some hCG proponents draw a distinction between homeopathic hCG and concentrated hCG—sometimes called “pure hCG” or “real hCG”. Homeopathic medicine is based on the premise that the active ingredient in any medicinally potent substance has an “essence” that allow the substance to be reduced infinitesimally. Many drugs that are prescription-only or banned by the FDA are sold legally as homeopathic products by diluting them to the point where they’re almost entirely water, without so much as a milligram of the active ingredient. Many erstwhile defendants of hCG contend than HHCG isn’t a supplement, but a placebo.

Side Effects Associated with HCG

As mentioned, most hCH diet side effects have more to do with the small amount of food. Diet clinics that provide daily hCG injections only allow patients to stay on 500 calories per day for a maximum of five weeks before requiring them to consume a normal amount of food for six weeks before resuming the diet.

However, there are definite dangers linked to hCG itself. HCG supplementation in women has been found to cause Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS), whose symptoms include vomiting, breathing difficulties, excessive urination, nausea, abdominal pain and swelling. One male hCG dieter reported a pulmonary embolism, which is a blood clot in the lung that can be fatal. In both men and women, hCG has been frequently reported to cause headaches, irritability, constipation, temporary hair thinning, hand swelling and breast tenderness.

The more frequent complaints online, particularly of headaches and irritability, are more likely due to the metabolic transition from burning carbohydrates to burning protein, since most of these complaints seem to cease after the first few days. It’s recommended that prospective hCG dieters undergo the diet under medical supervision at a proper hCG diet clinic. The patient’s calorie allotment can be adjusted for their tested resting metabolic rate rather than held to a one-size-fits-all 500-calorie standard.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, or hCG, is a hormone that women secrete during the early stages of conception. HCG is extracted from the urine of pregnant women and processed into supplements, either in the form of sublingual (under the tongue) drops, or as injections. Like insulin for diabetics, injections can be self-administered, but many dieters prefer to have them professionally administered at a weight loss clinic that specializes in the hCG diet plan.

Oral supplements of pure hCG are prescription-only, but homeopathic hCG drops (HHCG drops) can be purchased without a prescription. The latter arguably contain effectively no hCG, based on the homeopathic theory of using extremely minute dilutions of an active ingredient. Like other liquid homeopathic medicines, they bypass FDA restriction by being almost 100% water. Nonetheless, HHCG has a high volume of positive, unsolicited testimonials. Claims of one-pound-per day weight loss on a pure hCG diet are not uncommon.

The hCG diet got its start in the 1950s, with hCG having already proved successful for treating infertility problems in women and certain hormonal problems in pre-pubescent boys. Endocrinologist A.T.W. Simeons, pioneer of the official hCG diet, observed that by administering small doses of hCG to his obese patients, they would lose adipose tissue (accumulated fat) in trouble spots like the thighs, buttocks, upper arms and stomach while preserving muscle tissue.

Dr. Simeons claimed in his original manuscript, “Pounds and Inches”, that the glycoprotein hormone not only aids in collecting adipose tissue from the body, but also acts as strong appetite suppressant, allowing the dieter it maintain a under 500-calorie daily regimen without feeling hungry.

HCG remains FDA approved due to its origins as a fertility drug, but the agency discourages its use for weight loss, requiring labels on hGC products to state that the hormone has not been proven to accelerate weight loss, curb appetite or burn fat. The FDA has not positively refuted HCG weight loss claims, but is unwilling to endorse its use as a weight loss supplement without sufficient clinical evidence that the supplement is the active ingredient in the rapid weight loss that many dieters have experienced when using it.

Many critics insist that the key to HCG has less to due with dissolving adipose tissue and everything to do with the small number of calories eaten each day. Dieters are are prohibited from eating more than 500 calories per day. If they go over the limit, they’re required to drink nothing but water the following day and eat nothing but six apples.

On regular days, recommended foods are vegetables and organic meat and fish, while all carbohydrates, dairy, sugar and alcohol are off-limits. HCG advocates don’t necessarily disagree with the argument that Simeons’ Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) is the primary cause of weight loss, but point out that as long as hCG works as an appetite suppressant, the hCG/VLCD regimen is extremely effective.

In clinical settings, supervised programs offer packets of different lengths. Some clinics, for instance, offer a 3-week program for $500 or a 5-week program for $600. The patient receives daily injections during this period, after which he or she must go off the injections and eat normally for at least six weeks to prevent developing an immunity to hCG.

The hCG diet is not a panacea. It requires discipline, just like any other diet. While hCG might be effective in reducing one’s appetite, many overeaters eat habitually rather than being driven by appetite, so staying within the 500 calorie limit for several weeks is a project that should not be taken lightly. It’s highly recommended that anyone considering the hCG diet research the arguments for an against it thoroughly, and opt for clinical supervision if possible.