Does the hCG diet really work?

And how did this HCG craze get started, anyway? 

Injections and a diet program were first introduced by Dr. Albert T. Simeons over 50 years ago. While the US Food and Drug Administration has only approved the HCG injections as a fertility drug, it is still legal to use the hormone for weight loss based on off-label usage laws. 

The FDA approval for HCG use is for an extremely high dose and is given by muscular injection which has significant risks. HCG injections are effective generally on 80 percent of patients. It is believed that HCG is allowing the breakdown of the triglycerides in fat cells and allowing the fat to release from the cells and be metabolized. In molecular biology, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone produced during pregnancy that is made by the developing placenta after conception, and later by the placental component syncytiotrophoblast. 

Some cancerous tumors produce this hormone; It is not uncommon for elevated levels in a pregnant woman to be misdiagnosed for cancer. However, it is not known whether this production is a contributing cause or an effect of cancerous tissue. The pituitary equivalent of hCG, known as luteinizing hormone (LH), is produced in the pituitary gland of males and females of all ages.

As of December 6, 2011, the FDA has prohibited the sale of "homeopathic" and OTC hCG diet products and declared them fraudulent and illegal.

There is a product that is called Even Better Than hCG (you can find it here) which requires no prescription or injections and is a TRUE Homeopathic alternative. It uses the finest pharmaceutical grade ingredients and is manufactured in an FDA approved facility. The best part is that it does not involve a 500 calorie diet.

hCG has its origins in pregnant women. Human chorionic gonadotropin interacts with the LHCG receptor and promotes the maintenance of the corpus luteum during the beginning of pregnancy, causing it to secrete progesterone which builds the uterus with a thick lining of blood vessels in order to sustain the growth of the fetus. Due to its highly negative charge, hCG may repel the immune cells of the mother, protecting the fetus during the first trimester. 

Because of its similarity to LH, hCG can also be used clinically to induce ovulation in the ovaries as well as testosterone production in the testes. It is abundant in pregnant women. Some organizations collect urine from pregnant women to extract hCG for use in fertility treatment.

There are numerous types of hCG. There is total hCG, C-terminal peptide total hCG, intact hCG, free ß-subunit hCG, ß-core fragment hCG, hyperglycosylated hCG, nicked hCG, alpha hCG, and pituitary hCG.

My Health News Daily has reported:

Weight-loss products containing the hormone HCG are illegal and potentially dangerous, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said today, and consumers are advised to steer clear of the oral drops, pellets and sprays that can be found online and in retail stores.

The FDA, along with the Federal Trade Commission, issued warning letters today to seven companies selling over-the-counter, homeopathic weight-loss products marketed as containing HCG.

The products are marketed with claims that the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin, which is found in the urine of pregnant women, is a "natural" way to increase metabolism and spur weight loss.

But the products are labeled with the recommendation to consume no more than 500 calories a day, and there is no evidence that HCG contributes to weight loss beyond what comes with such severe a calorie restriction, said Elizabeth Miller of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, speaking at a news conference today.

There are no FDA-approved weight-loss products that contain HCG, and HCG products that are marketed for weight loss are unproven and potentially unsafe, Miller said.

Moreover, limiting calorie intake to 500 calories a day is unhealthy, and increases risk of developing gallstones, heart arrhythmias and electrolyte imbalances, Miller said.

"The weight-loss industry, perhaps more than any other, is fad-driven fad-driven" said Richard Cleland, an assistant director at the Federal Trade Commission. "It's also fraud-driven," Cleland said, citing the past examples of products containing the plant Hoodia gordonii and acai berries, which were also marketed as weight loss products without evidence of being effective or safe.

Neither agency had data available on how many consumers have bought such products, but the heavy marketing on the Internet indicates there are many purchasers, Cleland said. A recent survey showed that almost 5 million Americans each year are victims of weight-loss fraud, he said.

The warning letters inform the companies that they are violating federal law because they are advertising products without having reliable scientific evidence that their claims are true. Letters were issued to Nutri Fusion Systems, Inc, Natural Medical Supply, LLC DBA HCG Complete Diet, HCG Platinum, LLC, Theoriginalhcgdrogs.com, HCG Diet Direct, LLC, Hcg-miracleweightloss.com and HCG Drops, LLC.

The injectable, prescription form of hCG, human chorionic gonadotropin, is approved as a treatment for infertility and other uses, and it is legal for doctors to prescribe it “off-label” for weight loss. 

But the F.D.A. has also reiterated a warning, first issued in the mid-1970s, that is required on hCG packaging: It has not been shown to increase weight loss, to cause a more “attractive” distribution of fat or to “decrease hunger and discomfort” from low-calorie diets. 

Anyone who goes on a 500 calorie starvation diet with or without hCG is bound to lose weight. It is impossible not to lose weight. 

This is equivalent to a concentration camp diet. Average people forced to eat less cannot do this without medication aid in the form of anorectics. Concentration camp survivors were estimated to live on 500- 800 calories a day of soup and bread.

But, losing weight is not the same as losing fat. Losing weight by diet alone almost always means loss of muscle tissue which is the the fuel burning engine where metabolism takes place. You just have to look at the emaciated condition of concentration camp survivors to realize that a 500 calorie per day diet is a recipe for a disaster. Muscle tissue loss is in the end counterproductive. As soon as one goes off the unsustainable 500 calorie diet, with a dramatically smaller fat burning engine the fat will accumulate even faster. Muscles are the ovens which burn excess energy and their loss always equates to regaining the lost weight and then some, in the form of fat.