Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is a hormone found in early pregnancy. What makes this hormone interesting is that, it has alleged health and weight loss benefits.
In fact, there is a diet specifically designed to compliment this hormone which many people claim that it helped them lose significant amount of weight.
So are you interested in this hormone for your weight loss program? Read on and learn what and how Human Chorionic Gonadotropin work and is it truly plausible as a weight loss aid.
What is Human Chorionic Gonadotropin?
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin or simply called as “HCG“, is a hormone produced by the placenta after implantation, and is detected through pregnancy tests (1).
Some cancerous tumors also produce this hormone, which means if an individual has elevated levels of HCG and the patient is not pregnant, it may mean that the patient has cancer.
A glycoprotein that is composed of 237 amino acids, the pituitary analog of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is produced by the pituitary gland of both males and females and is known as luteinizing hormone (LH).
HCG is also been used to help treat fertility issues in both sexes. And like other gonadotropins, HCG can be extracted from the urine of pregnant women.
Several varieties of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin exists. Regular HCG is the main form of HCG which is associated with the majority of pregnancy. The endogenous forms of HCG are categorized by their total HCG, C-Terminal peptide total HCG, intact HCG and many others.
The hyperglycosylated HCG is the main form of HCG produced during the implantation phase of pregnancy. And lastly, pharmaceutical forms of HCG are from animal or synthetic sources (laboratory).
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin also helps maintain the production of essential hormones such as estrogen and progesterone, all of which are important for embryo and fetus development.
HCG Diet Overview
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is a prescription drug to help treat fertility issues. And if you are curious about this hormone, it is widely debated online whether it can be effectively used for weight loss or not.
The idea of using HCG as a weight loss aid was from Dr Albert Simeons way back in 1954. He noticed that his patients significantly lost weight by injecting them HCG together with a highly-restrictive diet plan.
That was the birth of “HCG Diet“.
His dieting regimen evolves in two major components:
- A 500 calories per day diet
- Human Chorionic Gonadotropin administered via injections
What is the claim? Experts suggest that an ultra-low calorie diet along with HCG can help “reset your metabolism“, meaning you’ll lose more pound a day without feeling weak.
The HCG Diet will limit you to only 500 calories a day for 8 long weeks while taking Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. By the way, Dr Simeons only used injection HCG. But in today’s standard, you can either get a shot or taking a homeopathic product.
HCG homeopathic products include diet drops, sprays, pellets and many others that are readily available in stores.
HCG Diet has a variety of versions but generally divided into these three stages:
- Loading Stage – Take HCG and eat plenty of high-fat, high-calorie foods for two to three days.
- Weight Loss Stage – Take HCG and follow the 500 calorie per day rule for 4 to 8 days.
- Maintenance Stage – Stop taking HCG and gradually increase food intake but ensure to avoid sugar and starch for at least three weeks.
Again, since HCG is used to help treat fertility problems, it is quite legal for anyone to use Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, as long as they have prescription. But for weight loss, HCG is not approved by the FDA.
Will HCG Promote Any Weight Loss Effects?
Practitioners of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin for weight loss claims that it can help boost metabolism while losing significant amounts of fat, all without the feeling of hunger.
Though there are notable reports of weight loss success using the HCG Diet protocol, there is not enough evidence that the slimming effects was from the use of hormones.
A selection of HCG studies provided by National Institutes of Health suggest that the reason of weight loss from HCG Diet is due to its low-calorie diet.
Most studies compared the effects of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin and placebo injections given to subjects on a 500 calorie diet daily. Results was identical or nearly identical between two groups.
On other reports, Katherine Zeratsky of MayoClinic further agrees on this result. She said that the severe calorie restriction is the mere reason why people lose weight, and not the HCG.
Taking HCG Diet also won’t give you any benefit when it comes to your body composition. First off, calorie-restricted diet regimen’s main effect on the body is muscle mass reduction. So this ain’t good either for bodybuilders as well – (2).
While HCG Diet claims that it can help you lose fat, not muscles, there are clinical evidence that suggests otherwise.
So if you are an athlete or a bodybuilder, HCG Diet’s calorie-restricted diet regimen is definitely not an option as you need high-protein foods to maintain healthy muscle mass.
Health Hazards of HCG Diet
With a calorie-restricted diet program required, you also increase your risk of certain side effects if you undergo HCG Diet protocol.
According to MayoClinic, some of the reported side effects include fatigue, irritability, restlessness, depression, fluid buildup (edema), swelling of breasts in men (gynecomastia) and thromboembolism, a serious disorder where blood clots are formed resulting to blood vessel blockage.
With this type of starvation diet, it is almost guaranteed that you will experience unwanted adverse effects. Not to mention the possible side effects from taking human chorionic gonadotropin, which the FDA completely disapproves – (3).
To ensure your safety, I encourage you to consult your doctor first before you try any diet program especially HCG Diet.
Bottom Line
Based on the facts above, human chorionic gonadotropin is a proven aid for fertility issues but is a questionable weight loss aid.
Reports are generally false with regards to its weight loss claims, which can lead people to believe that hormones can actually promote weight loss. But in reality, the calorie-restrictive diet regimen of HCG Diet is the reason why people achieve good measures of weight loss.
Again, calorie-restriction type of diet isn’t for everyone as it can lead to a variety of side effects, including serious conditions even death.
So if you stumbled into one produce online that sells you “real” HCG on a bottle and claims that it can help you lose weight, think again as this will just going to fail you big time while increasing your risk of side effects.
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References:
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin
by: Danielle Betz and Kathleen Fane
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532950/
Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin and Weight Loss. A Double-Blind Placebo Controlled Trial
by: B Bosch, Venter R, Stewart, SR Bertram
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2405506/
Efficacy and Safety of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin for Treatment of Cryptorchidism: A Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials
by: Yi Wei, Yangcai Wang, Xiangliang Tang, Bin Liu, Lanju Shen, Chunlan Long, Tao Lin, Dawei He, Shengde Wu and Guanghui Wei
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29655188/Image Credits:
The HCG Institute
https://www.thehcginstitute.com/store/prescription-hcg-injections/
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