HCG Fat Loss: Effective or Dangerous?

HCG fat loss is one of many methods that have flooded the market as an immediate result of the popularity of the theme of fat loss and especially weight loss.

HCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. In this website we stand firmly behind the choice of natural approaches to fat loss with the exception of maybe using diet shakes, as a unique solution to extremely busy people who cannot follow a proper fat loss meal plan.

Having said that, we need to examine as deep as possible the effectiveness of HCG fat loss and identify possible risks while using such a method.

As it happens with many methods, there is a high level of controversy regarding this one. HCG is a hormone which can be traced in human urine and it is said to promote fat loss, suppresses hunger and decreases body fat accumulation.

What do scientists say?

The controversy on this method is a long lasting one as its effects have been studied for more than 50 years now.

Dr. A.T.W Simeons was one of the first researchers who discovered numerous benefits of HCG fat loss and suggested using HCG for reducing fat and staying fit (first scientific work of Simeons on HCG, The Action of Chorionic Gonadotropin in the Obese, was published in 1954).

However, in 1976, a double-blind academic research was carried out to study the effects and possible benefits of HCG fat loss. According to the report concerning this study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, no evidence were found about positive effects of combining HCG with a low-calorie diet on body fat ratio.

In 2009, a group of experts at the American Society of Bariatric Physicians published their academic work stating that using HCG for fat loss is not recommended.

One other extensive scientific research, which was led by W. L. Asher, M.D., and Harold W. Harper, M.D. and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, (26: Feb. 1973, pp. 211-218), found out links between using HCG and more rapid fat loss .

Numerous other studies on the use of HCG, including the one carried out by an expert team at Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam (published in British Journal of Pharmacology, 40, 237-243, 1995) and the academic analysis by John Ballin and Philp White (published in the Journal of the American Medical Association,( 1974 Nov 4; 230(5):693-4), have shown the absence of clear positive effects of HCG for fat and weight reduction.

What should we do?

I am pretty sure that scientists succeeded only in confusing you even more on your decision to use the HCG fat loss method or not. We must say though that despite the extensive controversy on the subject, the popularity of HCG treatment programs is quite high. I believe that the reason for this fact is the huge advertising campaign which is unfolded by manufacturing and marketing companies, including numerous online distributors, of HCG products which promotes the “miraculous effects” and benefits of the HCG fat loss method.

As a reaction to that campaign, the FDA, in December 2011, issued a warning on all HCG product manufacturers to review their marketing policies and refrain from making unsupported claims when promoting their products.

Moreover this warning forced the withdrawal of over-the-counter HCG compounds that were not approved by the FDA.

Although a lot of people report, in online forums, that by using HCG fat loss method they managed to lose significant amounts of weight or fat, I feel that human bodies need to be treated with respect. In that aspect pharmaceutical compounds should be avoided as much as possible.

Such approaches may sound easier and quicker but nothing can be easy without some cost. In this case our overall health is at stake.

Therefore for those of us who are thinking about trying this approach for achieving rapid fat loss and improving their fitness levels, I suggest, first of all, to educate themselves as much as possible on the subject by talking to an experienced health care or fitness specialist.

Such experts can talk you through the benefits and the risks of such an approach for your own individual needs and conditions.

Even better, your own doctor is the person you should better turn to for personalized advice on what to do, as he is the one person who knows your current health condition best, and can provide you with the best advice you could ever get.

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