hCG is AMAZING! Or, is it?!

I will try NOT to get all hot and bothered while I discuss this topic, but I’m not promising anything!!
So, what is the deal? Everywhere I go I see banners stating, “Get your hCG here!” Or I see billboards displaying, “hCG works!”

But, does hCG work? Well, let me give you a little background…

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone naturally produced when a developing embryo embeds into the lining of a woman’s uterus after conception. It prevents the corpus luteum of the ovary from disintegrating and maintains progesterone production. This is the hormone that creates a positive pregnancy test and keeps a woman pregnant. hCG has been used in clinical settings to induce ovulation in women who are not ovulating and for testosterone production in men who have low levels.

So, what crazy person came up with the idea to INJECT individuals with a hormone that is not theirs to promote weight loss?

His name was Dr. A.T.W. Simeons, a British endocrinologist. He studied pregnant women in India who were on a calorie-deficit diet as well as “chubby” boys who had been treated with low-dose HCG to combat pituitary problems. He noticed that these individuals lost fat and not lean mass (muscle.) He concluded that hCG must trigger the hypothalamus to preserve the lean muscle to protect the developing fetus. At a Salvator Mundi International Hospital in Rome, Italy – Dr. Simeons continued to uses low dose hCG in conjunction with a severely low caloric diet (500 calories a day) to help OBESE individuals lose a substantial amount of adipose (fat) tissue very quickly. Simeons died MYSTERIOSULY and the use of hCG started to spread to specialized clinics. It then became popularized by a controversial yet popular author, Kevin Trudeau.

Now, let’s talk about this Kevin Trudeau character. I did a little research on this fellow; here are some interesting facts…
- An American author, infomercial sales person, convicted felon, and self-proclaimed alterative medicine advocate (doesn’t that sound like someone you want to listen to)
- He wrote several publications including, The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You To Know About, which came out in 2007. This is the book that discusses the hCG diet in detail. (Are we seriously listening to this guy? What are his credentials?)

So, let’s just think logically here. Let’s use our brains for just one second.
Why would someone lose weight while on the hCG diet? Um, hello! Do you know how much 500 calories is? I eat that much at one meal! Of course when someone who needs 2000 calories a day starts eating just 500 calories a day will lose weight. Duh! It’s NOT the hormone
Why would someone who buys milk that comes from cows that have not been treated with hormones inject themselves with a hormone that is not theirs? We try so hard to rid our bodies of synthetic hormones, chemicals, and preservatives but don’t think about it when we are trying to lose a few pounds.
Why are men and women doing the hCG thing when they are trying to lose just 20-30 pounds? Even Simeons only used it on obese individuals. People, let’s just get on the treadmill and stop with the soda.

And so you are aware…
The Journal of the American Medical Association and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition have both stated that hCG is NOT safe, indeed ineffective, as a weight loss aid…it is, as in any diet the ultra low-calorie component that results in weight loss.”

Obviously, I could go on forever about this subject. However, I don’t want to lose the 2 readers of this blog that I have. This was just to get your brain wrapped around the idea that hCG is just another fad diet. It will come and go just like Atkins’s or the Grapefruit diet. If you know of people who are on a crazy diet, point them in a better direction (ahem.) There are safe ways to lose weight more quickly than the recommended 1-2 pounds per week (if that’s what you want), but you must do so under the guidance of nutrition professional – a chiropractor is NOT a nutrition professional, nor is a nurse for that matter. Dietitians don’t go around adjusting backs or drawing blood do they? Lastly, those who have lost 45 pounds in one month…let’s see you in a few months when you return to the habits you had before your diet.