What is the HCG Diet and How Does it Work?

What is the HCG diet?

It is a hormone that the female body produces during the pregnancy period to support the fetus build. Consultants sometimes prescribe HCG injections for curing fertility issues in females and hormone issues, like hypogonadism, in males.

The HCG diet first becomes familiar in the 1950s. However, its promoters declared that taking HCG could decrease feelings of hunger and help weight loss by re-allocating body fat from the thighs, stomach, and hips.

According to the FDA, the proponents of familiar diet products holding HCG claim that they can re-establish the body’s metabolism and fix “abnormal eating patterns.”  However, the producers of these products also claim that the HCG diet encourages weight loss of up to a pound per day. However, there is no scientific proof to back up these claims.

According to a commentary in the International Journal of Obesity, no study has shown that the HCG hormone has any influence on weight loss. Furthermore, it may be risky for some people and in certain dosages.

Is the HCG diet safe and effective?

According to some experts, the HCG diet is neither safe nor effective. However, the FDA advises people to ignore any over-the-counter (OTC) outcomes that they hold HCG. HCG has FDA approval as an authorized medication for curing fertility issues. But they alert against using it for weight loss. The FDA has not accepted HCG in any form for OTC sale.

However, the operate of HCG can cause potential side effects, including:-

  • Mood changes
  • Fluid build up in bodily tissue
  • Lengthened breasts in males
  •  Blood clots

Another aspect of the HCG diet is that its producers often suggested that people severely restrict their calorie inlet to around 500 per day. Although a very-low-calorie diet (VLCD) may promote temporary weight loss, it puts people at risk of potentially sensitive side effects, including:-

  • Malnutrition
  • Low mood
  • An irregular heartbeat
  • Gallstones

One 2015 review identifies 20 surveys that announced that weight loss was no higher in people following a VLCD who grip HCG than in those following a VLCD who grip a placebo.

What the HCG diet involves?

People who follow the HCG diet generally minimize their calorie intake to around 500 per day. However, they also grip HCG as oral drops, pellets, or sprays, or accept injections. Producers market these products as being “homeopathic.”

However, this is confusing and potentially risky. In addition, restoring 500 calories per day is low energy ingest. Limiting calories to this extent may be damaging for the body. Also, there is no proof to recommend that the supplements are safe or beneficial.

Are HCG products legal?

In the United States, it is legal to trade OTC products holding HCG. However, this limitation also includes homeopathic HCG products.

By May 2016, the FDA and the Federal Trade Commission had already issued seven alarming letters to companies that traded products claiming to hold the hormone. However, these companies disrupted the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act.

The HCG hormone is legal when a consultant advises it in injection form. The FDA approves HCG as a treatment cure for female infertility and male hormone matters. Sometimes, consultants may advise HCG for unapproved weight loss purposes. However, there is no proof to suggest that this is useful and effective, and it may cause many more adverse reactions.

Benefits, risks, and side effects

However, there is no proof to support taking HCG to encourage weight loss, and using the hormone may cause side effects.  According to some studies, reported side effects of HCG to include:-

  • Depression
  • Development of fluid in bodily tissues or edema
  • Fatigue and lack of energy
  • Dilated breasts in males, or gynecomastia
  • Irritability
  • Restlessness
  • Blood clots, or thromboembolism

Severe use of HCG can also affect the outcome of pregnancy tests, which work by noticing HCG in a person’s urine. Another possible risk can occur during a medical emergency if consultants are unaware of the person’s HCG diet. However, many calorie restrictions can also cause adverse effects, including:-

  • Deficiencies in vitamins and minerals
  • Increased risk of gallstones
  • Muscle loss
  • Electrolyte imbalance
  • An irregular heartbeat

Low calories diets may improve weight loss in the short term. But some study suggests that they may have severe adverse effects on a person’s mental and physical health. A person is also likely to recover the lost weight after they remove following the diet.

However, those who feel side effects from following the HCG diet or operating HCG supplements should see their consultant immediately. Also, the FDA suggests that people only follow a VLCD under proper medical direction.

 

 

Last Updated on October 10, 2023 by anup