The HCG diet has gained popularity as a weight-loss program promising rapid results. However, it's essential to understand what the HCG diet entails, its potential benefits and risks, and the scientific evidence surrounding its effectiveness.
What is the HCG Diet?
The HCG diet involves the use of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone produced in large amounts during early pregnancy. While hCG has legitimate medical uses, such as treating infertility and hormone imbalances, its use for weight loss is controversial and not FDA-approved.
The diet typically combines hCG administration with a very low-calorie diet (VLCD), often restricting intake to as little as 500 calories per day. Proponents claim this combination boosts metabolism, reduces hunger, and leads to significant weight loss, sometimes up to 30 pounds in a month or two. However, the FDA warns against using hCG for weight loss, citing the dangers of very restrictive diets.
History of the HCG Diet
The HCG diet was introduced by British doctor Albert T. W. Simeons in a 1954 medical journal article. Simeons developed the idea while treating young boys with Fröhlich syndrome, a rare hormonal disorder causing obesity. In 1971, he published "Pounds & Inches: A New Approach to Obesity," detailing the diet. The HCG diet experienced a surge in popularity in 2009 due to renewed internet attention.
How the HCG Diet Works
The HCG diet is based on the theory that hCG can unlock fat stores in the body, making them available for energy. It's also believed to moderate the adrenals, thyroid, fat storage, and metabolic rate via the hypothalamus gland. In this diet, the body's energy source is bodily fat stores unlocked by the HCG hormone.
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On average, women burn 1,500 to 2,500 calories every day, and men burn 2,500 to 4,000. On the HCG diet, roughly 500 calories come from food intake, with the rest coming from excess fat stored in the body.
Phases of the HCG Diet
The HCG diet generally consists of three phases:
- Loading Phase: This phase involves eating high-calorie, high-fat foods for a couple of days while starting hCG administration through injections, tablets, or other forms.
- Weight Loss Phase: This phase lasts three to six weeks and involves continuing hCG administration while restricting calorie intake to around 500 calories per day. During this phase, you're only allowed to eat two meals per day - usually lunch and dinner. Each meal should contain one portion of lean protein, a vegetable, a piece of bread, and a serving of fruit.
- Maintenance Phase: This phase involves stopping hCG administration and gradually increasing food intake while avoiding sugar and starch for three weeks to transition your food intake to a more typical amount. The goal is to stick to new eating habits and maintain weight loss long-term.
Dietary Restrictions and Preferences
The diet allows as much water, coffee, and tea as you want. You can also have up to 1 tablespoon of milk per day and use sugar substitutes but not sugar to sweeten drinks. Butter and oils aren't allowed.
While you can eat a variety of foods on this diet, the calorie count is so restrictive that it might be hard for people with specific diets to follow. Though many fruits and vegetables are included in the diet, during the weight loss phase, you’ll need to eat some protein from animal sources, such as chicken, beef, fish, and eggs. That could be a problem for vegetarians and vegans. Gluten-free shouldn’t be an issue. You can choose gluten-free carbs to eat during the loading and maintenance phases of the diet.
Specific food choices during the weight loss phase include:
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- Proteins: You can broil or grill veal, beef, chicken breast, fresh white fish, lobster, crab, or shrimp as long as you don’t eat any visible fat. No salmon, eel, tuna, herring, or dried or pickled fish are allowed.
- Vegetables: Vegetable choices include spinach, chard, chicory, beet greens, green salad, tomatoes, celery, fennel, onions, red radishes, cucumbers, asparagus, and cabbage.
- Bread: Bread can be one breadstick or one piece of melba toast.
- Fruit: For fruit, you can choose an orange, an apple, a handful of strawberries, or half a grapefruit.
Scientific Evidence and Effectiveness
Many studies have tested the effectiveness of the HCG diet ever since Simeons introduced it. A 1995 analysis of 24 studies found no evidence that this diet helps reduce hunger, promote weight loss, or trim fat from areas like the hips and thighs. Other research found that placebo, or fake injections, worked just as well as hCG injections for treating obesity. Due to the lack of evidence, the American Society of Bariatric Physicians recommends against using the HCG diet for weight loss.
Several studies indicate that weight loss on the HCG diet is due only to drastic calorie restriction and has nothing to do with hCG, which is also ineffective in reducing hunger.
Potential Risks and Side Effects
The FDA has not approved HCG for weight loss and warns against using HCG products, as claims about their weight loss benefits are unproven. Taking hCG while drastically cutting calories may cause more harm than benefit.
Potential risks associated with HCG injections for other medical uses include:
- Allergic reactions
- Mood changes
- Acne
- Facial hair growth
- Headache
- Swelling of the breasts, penis, or testes
- Nausea, vomiting, and upset stomach
- Pelvic pain
- Bloating
Potential side effects of extreme calorie-restricted diets include:
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- Gallstones
- An imbalance of electrolytes that help your muscles and nerves work
- Abnormal heartbeat
The HCG diet also contains less protein than experts recommend you get each day. Its recommended protein intake is 30-50 grams, which is typically less than the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of 0.36 grams per pound of body weight.
Is the HCG Diet Safe?
The HCG diet limits calorie intake to around 500 calories per day for weeks at a time, making it an extreme weight loss diet. It's very hard to stick to a strict calorie limit, and it can also be dangerous. It’s impossible to meet all your nutritional needs on so few calories. Consuming less than 1,200 calories a day makes it tough to get enough vitamins and minerals without taking supplements.
People who follow very restrictive diets like this one are at risk for gallstones, an irregular heartbeat, and low electrolytes.
Official agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have questioned the safety of hCG products, and numerous side effects have been reported.
Safer Alternatives for Weight Loss
If weight loss is your goal, choose safer ways to lose weight. There are safer ways to lose weight that don't require supplements or highly restrictive diets. If you’re carrying a significant volume of extra weight, moving closer to a healthy weight is one of the most important choices you can make. Talk with your healthcare professional about making healthy changes that lead to lasting weight loss.
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