HCG Drops For Weight Loss?

It is difficult to search for weight loss tips without encountering HCG. This wonder drug is said to trigger fat consumption within your body, while it suppresses your hunger, nearly eliminating the need to eat. Oh, but there is one small problem: HCG has never been scientifically proven to help with weight loss. Ever. Now there are dozens of web sites selling HCG drops. They claim all the efficacy of HCG injections in an eye dropper to drip under your tongue. Can you guess how this new angle works out?

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone that is produced naturally during pregnancy. It is also secreted by some cancer cells. The FDA has approved injected HCG for the treatment of infertility. No other use of HCG is approved by the government. In fact, any representation to the contrary is a violation of Federal law.

HCG injections don’t promote weight loss. “Every single well-done trial showed that the HCG injections were no better than injecting a saltwater placebo,” said Dr. Cohen, of the Harvard Medical School. People who followed the HCG diet plan and were injected with saltwater lost the same amount of weight as those who were injected with HCG hormone.

Because HCG has one valid and approved use, doctors can prescribe it for their patients. Because the hormone is digested and rendered inert, it must be injected to remain medically viable. This is a real deal-breaker for many people, efficacy aside, so the oral drops, sometimes called homeopathic HCG,  were a hot commodity as soon as they appeared on the market.

Once the market demand for HCG drops reached a fever pitch, the government stepped in. There are no FDA-approved HCG products for weight loss. Real HCG is available only by prescription. The sites selling HCG drops are selling solutions that contain so little actual HCG (think droplets per gallon) that the FDA doesn’t even consider them a drug.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), though, takes a dim view of unsubstantiated claims of benefit for anything that is sold. That has caused pretty much every web site selling HCG drops to get warning letters from the FTC notifying them that continued sale of HTC drops promoted by claims of weight loss is a violation of Federal law.

Given that HCG drops are essentially HCG-free, there is no real danger using them. The starvation diet that is part of the HCG protocol is dangerous, though.  Eating only 500 calories is not safe under any circumstance. The government’s guidelines for safe dieting recommend 1,200 calories per day. Your body will quickly shift into starvation mode as you begin the HCG diet. Every calorie that you eat will be cherished. Once you stop the diet, your body will frantically store away every spare calorie into fat cells. It is almost certain that your weight will rebound, probably leaving you heavier than when you started.

What can you do? Pick a diet that is safe and fits your lifestyle. If you want some ideas, check out PickMyDiet for a customized Top 5 list, based on your individual preferences. Then get a diet buddy to keep you accountable and lose that weight sensibly!