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The HCG Diet... Fraud

By Joshua Garner

HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin is a hormone that is produced by both the embryo and the placenta during pregnancy. The pituitary gland of both sexes also produces a form of HCG continuously throughout the human lifecycle.

A Little Bit of History

HCG was first introduced as a weight loss aid by a British endocrinologist, Albert Simeons. His studies indicated that use of HCG helped patients lose fat without losing any lean muscle tissue. His method involved injections of HCC combined with a 500 calorie a day diet that was high in protein and low in carbohydrates and fat. Since Dr. Simeons’ death, the HCG diet has spread all over the world and become exceeding popular with dieters.

The Popular Version

The current popular variation of the diet, HCG 1234 Diet, is based on Dr. Simeons’ original diet. The diet involves 4 phases. In phase 1 you spend 2 days eating all the high calorie fatty food you can stand in order to store energy for your body to use in Phase 2. You also take 10 drops of HCG 3 times a day. In Phase 2 you start a 500 calorie a day diet along with the HCG drops. The diet can be for 3 weeks or 6 weeks, depending on how much weight you want to lose. You must eat only the foods on the list you are given and the first 10 days you need to do a lemonade colon cleanse or some other type of cleanse. The diet is supposed to teach you healthier eating habits and help you maintain the weight loss that you achieve with it.

Where it Gets Fishy

The United states FDA has investigated these diet claims and have found no relationship between weight loss and HCG in the current forms in which it is marketed. Their investigation reveals that HCG drops are so diluted that they contain either no HCG or only the tiniest trace amounts. The FDA is of the opinion that any weight loss achieved on these diets is due to the fact that you only eat 500 calories per day, when for a normal diet 2000 calories a day is recommended for good health. Therefore, the FDA has said that HCG drops are fraudulent and have no effect on a person’s weight. They refuse to allow it to be considered a homeopathic drug and have ruled it to be an illegal substance. On December 6, 2011 all HCG diet product sales were banned and prohibited in the United States.

Some Common Sense... Please!

Losing weight in a healthy way, when you need to, is vital to the body’s well-being. However, fad diets and substances that possible contain no beneficial ingredients are not the way to go about it. Tips to be healthy are simple and easy to incorporate into your daily routine. Get a little exercise; eat plenty of fiber, fruits and vegetables. Make sure you get all the protein you need. Consult your physician before beginning any diet plan, especially if you have ongoing medical problems that a change in diet may affect.

About the Author

This article is the courtesy of Joshua Garner from good-health-tips.org

References:

usnews.com ...there is no evidence the HCG diet works. But the dieters insist they are losing weight fast...

shape.com ...the FDA designated this type of diet as "illegal, dangerous, and fraudulent”, you might be better off to skip it entirely...

webmd.com ...HCG for Weight Loss...

Disclaimer:

The above guest post is published based on the premise that it will be helpful and informative. The opinions made within it are those of the author and not of sunnyray.org. The links you may find within this post do not necessarily imply our recommendation or endorsement of the views expressed within them.

Comments:

Alejandro Penton says:
01-17-2013

Banned by FDA... As any alternative method that works.

sunnyray says:
01-18-2013

Hi Alejandro. Thanks for your 2 cents. I have no experience with HCG diet, but whenever hormones are involved in any method or product I try to stay away from it.

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