In this blog I am going to take a closer look at fad diets. The first fad diet I want to explore is the HCG diet. I had never heard of the HCG diet until a few years ago when some of my family members started the diet. HCG is the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone produced during pregnancy. HCG is commonly used to treat fertility issues in woman and can be used to increase low testosterone levels in males.
Using HCG for weight loss was first introduced in the early 1950’s by a British endocrinologist, Dr. ATW Simeons. Dr. Simeons noticed that when he treated young males with low testosterone by giving them injections of HCG their appetite decreased and they lost abdominal weight. After doing some research he found that HCG injections along with a restricted diet of 500 calories lead to a pound a day weight loss. He then came up with a HCG weight loss plan and wrote the book Pounds and Inches:, A new approach to obesity. Dr. Simeons intended for the HCG diet to be done under the supervision of a physician and warned that people should not try it on their own. The HCG diet was popular from the 1950’s up until the 1970’s. In 2007, Kevin Trudeau wrote The weight loss cure, what they don’t want you to know which introduced an updated version of Dr. Simeons's weight loss plan and lead to the more recent popularity of the HCG diet. With the recent rise in popularity has come the current discussion of whether or not the HCG diet is safe. While the FDA has approved the use of HCG injections for fertility treatment, they have banned homeopathic HCG from being sold. Homeopathic HCG is usually found in the form of oral drops, pellets and sprays. On December 6, 2011, the FDA advised consumers to avoid over the counter HCG weight loss products and sent notices to sellers saying their products are illegal. The products are illegal because HCG has not been FDA approved for weight loss. Also, there is no data to support the claims that HCG is responsible for weight loss since the weight loss is most likely coming from the strict calorie restriction. Dr. Pieter Cohen, MD of Cambridge Health Alliances, Harvard Medical School has commented that since the 1950’s over a dozen trials have been done and have showed that HCG doesn’t provide any positive results over given placebos. According to the Mayo Clinic and the FDA, the calorie restriction suggested during the HCG diet (500-800 calories a day) is dangerous without medical supervision and could be fatal. There is also the risk of irregular heartbeat, electrolyte imbalance, and the formation of gallstones. There is also a concern the diet can cause a deficiency in vitamins, minerals and proteins. People can still get HCG for weight loss under physician supervision in some states. However, just last month in Mississippi, the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure informed physicians that they could no longer prescribe HCG to patients for the off label use of weight loss. There seems to be a concern among some health professions that HCG diets don’t work and aren’t safe. The HCG diet usually involves restricting calories to 500 a day and taking HCG which results in the weight loss of 1-2 pounds a day. Below is an example of what someone on the diet might eat in a day. The HCG Diet; Sample used on Dr. Oz (weight loss controversy HCG diet pt.1) Breakfast – Coffee, then a snack of fruit Lunch – 3.5 oz. Protein and lettuce Snack – Melba toast or two Dinner – 3.5 oz. protein with a vegetable Snack – Fruit Although, many medical professionals say the HCG diet is dangerous and doesn’t work, many dieters still swear by it. I think it will be a while before the popularity of the HCG diet fades away again despite its health risks. My family members who followed the diet did lose a significant amount of weight; however, they gain it back not too long after they stopped the diet. One interesting fact to note is that while on the HCG diet women are not to use certain cosmetics because fats, oils, creams and ointments that are applied to the skin are said to be absorbed into the body as if they were eaten and will interfere with weight loss by reacting with the HCG. I would never have thought that face cream could count as fat while on a diet. For anyone interested in more information I found this episode of Dr. Oz to be interesting because it gives both the pros and cons of the HCG diet. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/weight-loss-controversy-hcg-diet-pt-1 References: www.doctoroz.com/videos/hcg-diet-fact-vs-fiction www.doctoroz.com/videos/weight-loss-controversy-hcg-diet-pt-1 www.familyphysicianinc.com/hcgdiet.html www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm281333.htm www.mayoclinic.com/health/hcg-diet/an02091 http://www.wreg.com/wreg-mississippi-bans-hcg-prescriptions-for-weight-loss-20120125,0,3534348.story
2 Comments
Lynette
2/10/2012 06:06:48 am
Very informative. I live in a rural area and this seems to be the hot diet. It amazes me that someone would think a 500 calorie a day diet is healthy. As much as I struggle with my weight I would never go to this extreme. Dieting should be a lifestyle change. I look forward to hearing about more fad diets. Great topic.
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Kristina
3/7/2012 09:30:04 am
Inwork with a lady who swears by the HGC diet and is not yet convinced that a healthy diet + exercise is the best method over any diet fad. Needless to say, the diet did not help her acheive her weight loss goals, and anybody can loose weight by restricting their diet down to only 500kcals/day even without the drops!
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AuthorHello! My name is Kimberly Rogers and I am a Dietetics student at Kansas State University. ArchivesCategories |