hCG Diet Dangers

Not many people have the time to stick to an exercise routine and eat right for losing weight in the regular way. Indeed, easy and fast weight loss has become a craze amongst people, who are desperate to shed extra kilos and remain in shape. Along with this comes diet pills, exercise equipment, unusual devices, and many other formulas, which all promise dieters to give mind-boggling results. One such booming weight loss program is the hCG diet that swears by customers to reduce 1 - 3 pounds per day. But, what is hCG diet and is it reliable? Are there any hCG diet dangers? Let's look into these queries in the following paragraphs.

hCG Diet: Facts You Should Know

Proposed by A.T.W Simeons, a British endocrinologist in the 1950s, the hCG diet protocol is basically an ultra-low-calorie weight loss program. According to him, hCG hormone (human chorionic gonadotropin) aids in burning accumulated fats (adipose tissue) from the body. It is touted that burning fats by adopting this diet strategy is for long-term basis. However, clinical trials have failed to prove the claimed effectiveness. Instead there are some reported side effects of hCG diet, which every interested person should learn before trying out this diet protocol.

For weight loss application, hCG is extracted from the urine of pregnant women and sold in the form of oral supplement and intramuscular injection. The oral formulation is not only cheaper but it doesn't require prescription by a trained physician, which is mandatory in case of hCG shots. Other than these two forms, there are homeopathic versions too. They are available as diluted sprays and drops, and are believed to be milder than the actual formulation. Whatever is the type, the safety and dangers of hCG diet remain a subject of major concern for medical researchers and dieters.

hCG Diet: Dangers Explained

The hCG hormone is secreted by pregnant women during the early stages of conception. It indirectly controls the optimal production of progesterone in the body, which is crucial for both the mother and developing fetus. As per the proponents, this glycoprotein hormone aids in losing weight without adverse effects. It helps in mobilizing, collecting, and converting adipose tissues into calories. Another touted benefit of hCG is suppressing appetite for a longer period. If these claims are true, the ultimate result is burning accumulated fats and reduction in weight. But, unfortunately it is not the case.

As of date, actual medical data revealing side effects of hCG diet in men and women is not published. Very often, people indulging in this diet program complain of mild side effects, of which some are associated with limited calorie intake. While following this protocol, a dieter is expected to consume only 500 - 800 calories a day (i.e. ¼ - ½ of the daily calorie requirement), accompanied with the administration of oral hCG drops or intravenous hCG shots for weight loss. Providing this much calories is not sufficient for normal functioning of the metabolic processes, hence starvation symptoms are quite obvious.

Common Side Effects of hCG Diet

• Headache
• Restlessness
• Cravings for food
• Nauseated feeling
• Constipation
• Lightheadedness
• Increased weakness
• Leg cramps
• Temporary hair thinning
• Irritation
• Depression
• Gallstones
• Blood clot problems (related to injections)

With the administration of hCG hormone, one may experience some signs of pregnancy such as swelling of hands and feet, water retention, and breast tenderness. These cases are seldom reported but that doesn't mean that they should be neglected by interested dieters. Also, one of the life-threatening hCG diet dangers for women is manifestation of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS). Under such a case, the afflicted female experiences nausea, vomiting, breathing difficulty, excess urination, and weight gain among other symptoms.

Talking more about hCG dangers, this hormone is not approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for dramatic weight loss. No doubt, it is recommended for addressing fertility problems in women and promoting secretion of testosterone hormone in men. While taking hCG in therapeutic formulations is relatively safe, coupling it with low-calorie diet may be dangerous. Also, using this gonadotropin hormone for the sole purpose of losing weight or obesity management is not proven scientifically. There are no clinical trials that support the benefits of hCG hormone in redistributing fats, burning adipose tissues, suppressing appetite, or decreasing discomfort associated with low calorie diet.

hCG Diet: Is it Worth Trying?

Whether the approach for losing weight is intentional or therapeutic, it is imperative for dieters to examine the reliability of the specific diet or weight loss product before trying it out. After completion of the hCG diet protocol (lasting for 26 or 42 days), dieters usually notice a significant difference in the weight measurements taken before and after adopting the diet. This reduction in weight value is largely due to the near-starvation diet. The same weight loss effect is observed after consuming calorie restriction diet for many days, irrespective of whether hCG is taken or not. Thus, weight loss resulted from this hormone-based dieting is short-term and there is a high chance that the dieter regains weight very soon.

As for the astounding stories about weight loss achieved with the help of hCG diet, take an example of any marketable, weight loss product developed by large drug companies, and the advertising strategy will leave no stone unturned to attract public attention as much as possible. With hCG diet too, success stories have been published in magazines and on the Internet. Some of these reports may be real but not all. To believe or not to believe in the advertising hypes is up to you. But, one word of caution is to consult an experienced doctor and discuss hCG diet safety and dangers. Also, purchasing the products from a trustable supplier is essential to prevent unexpected side effects.

So, this was a brief overview pertaining to side effects and dangers of hCG diet. For those who are currently on this diet, watch out for suspected symptoms. If the above listed adverse effects are manifested, stop using the product immediately and seek medical attention. At any point of time, it is always better to indulge in healthy ways for losing weight, instead of falling into the trap of unproven fast weight loss options. And this safety question is not only applicable to hCG diet, but effectiveness of fad diets remains doubtful and controversial for most of the cases.