The HCG diet … bonus ?… or BOGUS !
Weight loss clients occasionally ask whether we use
HCG ( human chorionic gonadotropin ) injections
to help with weight loss. They’ve seen and heard
advertisements by competing offices, and they are
wondering whether these injections are safe and
effective.
The protocol which is used by some of our competitors
pairs a very low calorie diet ( 500-600 calories/day)
with injections of HCG hormone. Let’s remember,
HCG is the hormone produced by the placenta, and it
assists in performance of various metabolic functions
to help maintain the growth and development of
a fetus during pregnancy. Fertility specialists can
obtain the drug to assist with IN VITRO
FERTILIZATION treatments. So …the use of HCG
injections in weight -loss clients… is WAY OFF- LABEL use of the drug .
That means that the use of HCG for weight loss
has never been shown in any double-blind, placebo-
controlled trials to be either safe ….or effective…
for weight loss patients.
In fact, the data show that it is NOT EFFECTIVE
for weight loss patients. A study published nearly
40 years ago….
entitled, ” Ineffectiveness of human chorionic
gonadotropin in weight reduction: a double – blind
study”, written by Mark Stein, MD, Ronald Julix, MD,
Carl C. Peck, MD , et al, , and published in The American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition 29, September 1976
pp 940-948, documented that THERE WAS NO
SIGNIFICANT BENEFIT FROM USE OF HCG for weight
reduction.
Furthermore, more recently, Drs. Bosch,Venter, Stewart,
and others reported their findings in another double-
blind placebo-controlled trial…that ” We conclude that
there is NO RATIONALE FOR THE USE OF HCG
INJECTIONS IN THE TREATMENT OF OBESITY.”
( Their review was published in the South African Medical
Journal,77(4): 185-189, 1990. )
OK, … so maybe you are thinking….
well maybe these patients who are going to clinics
which prescribe HCG off label for weight loss are
just wasting their money ?
But are these HCG protocols even SAFE ???
Well, I would say that they are NOT safe !
I can even cite a recent example of a young nurse in our
community, who DIED as a result of using an HCG
injection protocol in her quest to drop some stubborn
post – pregnancy weight.
Here is a link to the newspaper article which
summarizes this tragedy…
Be careful out there, my friends ! There are charlatans
wearing white coats who care very little about you,
( but very much about their own revenue stream ! )
http://m.fox19.com/autojuice?targetUrl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.fox19.com%2fstory%2f22797857%2ffox19-investigates-hcg-diet-blamed-for-killing-west-chester-mom%3fautoStart%3dtrue%26topVideoCatNo%3ddefault%26clipId%3d9075585
