Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is hCG?Theory of hCG Weight LossApproved Foods on the DietIs It Effective?Risks and Safety ConcernsProducts
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is hCG?
Theory of hCG Weight Loss
Approved Foods on the Diet
Is It Effective?
Risks and Safety Concerns
Products
The hCG diet combines a very low-calorie diet with thehormone hCGto achieve significant weight loss. Scientific studies have repeatedly found this diet ineffective and dangerous.
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) disapproves of hCG for weight loss and is actively working to have all hCG products labeled for weight loss removed from the market.
This article will cover what hCG is, how it’s used for weight loss, and its associated risks.
In the 1950s, a British physician named Albert T. W. Simeons claimed that hCG could make the body burn stored fat, especially around the stomach, hips, and thighs. He also claimed that those who used hCG would burn more fat than muscle and would not be as hungry.
Based on scientific evidence, a 2016 article in theJournal of Dietary Supplementsclaimed that the hCG diet was not an effective method of weight loss.
11 Ways to Spot a Fad Diet (and Why a Balanced Diet is Healthier)
The Theory Behind hCG for Weight Loss
The hCG diet combines a very low-calorie diet with the hCGhormonesupplement. The thought is that hCG will improvemetabolismand help users burn more calories. The second claim behind the diet is that hCG reduces hunger and cravings, making it easier to stick with the diet.
The diet is divided into three phases, each with rules and restrictions on what can and cannot be eaten. The plan claims that people on the diet can lose one-half pound of fat per day and up to 3 pounds of weight per day in the first few days.
What You Can Eat on the hCG Diet
The hCG diet is broken up into three phases. Each phase has different recommended foods.
During the first phase, the user is to eat high-calorie,high-fatfoods for two days. This would include foods like:
The second phaselasts three to six weeks and requires users to eat only 500 calories daily and as little fat as possible. Food options include:
The third phaseof the hCG diet allows users to increase the amount of food they eat but to avoid sugar and limit carbohydrates. This phase lasts for three weeks.
Science Does Not Support the hCG Diet ClaimsThe hCG diet leads users to believe that combining the hCG supplement and a low-calorie diet leads to high weight loss. However, no studies since the initial study in the 1950s have shown this to be an effective weight loss program.The science does not support the hCG diet and has even found it dangerous.
Science Does Not Support the hCG Diet Claims
The hCG diet leads users to believe that combining the hCG supplement and a low-calorie diet leads to high weight loss. However, no studies since the initial study in the 1950s have shown this to be an effective weight loss program.The science does not support the hCG diet and has even found it dangerous.
The hCG diet leads users to believe that combining the hCG supplement and a low-calorie diet leads to high weight loss. However, no studies since the initial study in the 1950s have shown this to be an effective weight loss program.
The science does not support the hCG diet and has even found it dangerous.
Is the HCG Diet Effective?
The hCG diet is not an effectiveweight losstool. It is a misguided diet that encourages people to consume a dangerously low amount of 500 calories daily for three to six weeks.
Scientific studies have found that theweight losssustained during the diet is due to the low caloric intake and is not related to the hCG hormone supplement. The FDA has not approved hCG products for weight loss.
People looking for an effective diet plan should contact a registered dietitian or their healthcare provider for safe and sound medical advice.
There are serious risks and safety concerns when people eat an extremely low-calorie diet and take hCG. The FDA has reported incidences of:
Human chorionic gonadotropin products are frequently used off-label, meaning for something the FDA has not approved it for. Off-label use broadens the use of—and therefore increases the risk of—using a product with little to no information on its safety or efficacy.
hCG Products on the Market
The FDA is working hard to eliminateover-the-counter(OTC) hCG products labeled as"homeopathicfor weight loss." The FDA does not approve these products and they have not been evaluated for safety or effectiveness.
Summary
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Questions and answers on hCG products for weight loss.Harvard Health.By the way, doctor: what do you know about the hCG diet?Butler SA, Cole LA.Evidence for, and associated risks with, the human chorionic gonadotropin supplemented diet.Journal of Dietary Supplements. 2016;13(6):694-699. doi:10.3109/19390211.2016.1156208Optimal Health and Wellness.Should you consider the hCG weight loss?U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Avoid dangerous hCG diet products.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Questions and answers on hCG products for weight loss.Harvard Health.By the way, doctor: what do you know about the hCG diet?Butler SA, Cole LA.Evidence for, and associated risks with, the human chorionic gonadotropin supplemented diet.Journal of Dietary Supplements. 2016;13(6):694-699. doi:10.3109/19390211.2016.1156208Optimal Health and Wellness.Should you consider the hCG weight loss?U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Avoid dangerous hCG diet products.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Questions and answers on hCG products for weight loss.Harvard Health.By the way, doctor: what do you know about the hCG diet?Butler SA, Cole LA.Evidence for, and associated risks with, the human chorionic gonadotropin supplemented diet.Journal of Dietary Supplements. 2016;13(6):694-699. doi:10.3109/19390211.2016.1156208Optimal Health and Wellness.Should you consider the hCG weight loss?U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Avoid dangerous hCG diet products.
U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Questions and answers on hCG products for weight loss.
Harvard Health.By the way, doctor: what do you know about the hCG diet?
Butler SA, Cole LA.Evidence for, and associated risks with, the human chorionic gonadotropin supplemented diet.Journal of Dietary Supplements. 2016;13(6):694-699. doi:10.3109/19390211.2016.1156208
Optimal Health and Wellness.Should you consider the hCG weight loss?
U.S. Food & Drug Administration.Avoid dangerous hCG diet products.
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