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The HCG Diet is Dangerous For the Heart

 
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The HCGdiet is Dangerous For the Heart via pixabay

Quick and easy weight loss…think again! When it comes to weight loss, there is no such thing as quick, safe and easy--otherwise all of us would never have to diet or go to the gym. The HCGdiet is one of the fad diets like the Atkins or the tapeworm diet.

The following is some basic information about the HCG diet and its potential problems:

The basics of the diet : People on this diet typically do a daily injection of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG), a pregnancy hormone, combined with a fat-free, 500 calorie per day diet. It is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for weight loss. There is no reliable evidence of weight loss, fat redistribution, decreased appetite, or improved mood. Possible side effects include ovarian hyperstimulation, swelling, ovarian cyst rupture, multiple births, headache, irritability, depression, fatigue, restlessness, clots in the arteries, and allergic reactions. Individuals with heart disease, kidney disease, seizure disorders, migraines and asthma should be warned about taking this, as it may worsen their condition.

The problems: Proponents of this diet say that this pregnancy hormone and fertility drug redistributes fat, decreases hunger and improves mood in women. This has not been proven. The probable weight loss is due to the low-fat, low calorie diet. There are concerns about possible loss of protein from vital organs and nutritional deficiencies. The starvation which occurs can decrease minerals and cause an electrolyte imbalance. These electrolytes are needed for proper heart function. Heart disease may worsen or a heart attack may occur.

Think about it: On this diet, you will pay money to suffer on the 500 calories a day for about a month, you will probably be moody, you may damage your body, you may gain the weight back and you definitely will make someone else rich.

Try instead : Mediterranean diet

Add a Comment66 Comments

EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I agree with some of these comments. HCG definitely worked for me and my husband! I lost 20 lbs my first round, and several inches over my body, went from a size 8 to a 6, Medium to a small-extra small. Hubby lost 30 lbs, also dropped a pant size. Hubby has kept all the weight off (it's been several months, and he splurges from time to time on treats). I am now on my second round. After the first week I lost another 8.5 lbs, and 8 inches over my whole body! I have received so many compliments on my skin, hair, figure. It's obvious it's not muscle loss. Definitely fat loss. Plus I've had so many friends try it and succeed. Sure, it's not for everyone, and you should definitely go to your doctor. But I agree, don't knock it till you try it! Plain old counting calories and exercise just weren't doing it for me anymore.

July 14, 2011 - 6:14pm

As you know, Anonymous new, that there will always be people who will not fit into the norm. This means that some individuals will lose weight and not have any side effects or consequences with this particular fad diet. While those individuals might be successful in achieving their weight loss without problems, this article presents the potential dangers to those individuals who may have other medical issues and should be careful with such low calorie diets. Awareness is the key!

April 8, 2011 - 6:21pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Meg Rees M.S. P.A. C)

The mind is a powerful thing, if you buy into something and want to believe it you usually do, but think about it, maybe it is the starvation diet of 500 calories a day that is accounting for the weight loss, that you will put back on as soon as you stop starving yourself. That is why all good studies are done with double blinds, to eliminate this false sense of success when our mind buys into fads, in double blind studies, many times the people taking the placebo (sugar pill - not the real thing) will lose weight and have the same feeling as those getting the real thing, because that is what they want to believe. The FDA and other organizations have no bias, they have no need to want a product to succeed or fail, they just report the facts, if you are taking a diet pill, you want it it to succeed, you are biased.

June 5, 2011 - 3:52pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous)

The FDA has no bias!? FDA bias toward big corporations like Monsanto is posioning our food supply with chemicals and GMOs. How about the FDA approved pink slime "meat" served to school children? No bias? That is the most comical statement I have read in a very long time. To get your feet wet, read Fast Food Nation.

July 12, 2012 - 12:57pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I agree.... Since I began (I am now on round 3) HCG I have lost a total of almost 50lbs and also have had that "Nesting" feeling that you get when you are pregnant! I love the pellets better than the bitter tastin drops and the problem fat that I had accumulated with my 4 pregnancies was shed without me losing my bust, which is what normally happened when I tried to diet usually. Love me some HCG!!!!!

April 7, 2011 - 8:57am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

That's funny! I lost no muscle, 50lbs, my skin looks and feels better and I have more energy than I have had in the last 15 years! Don't knock it until you've tried it! And don't forget to let the ignorant know that YOU DON'T TAKE HCG WHILE ON BIRTH CONTROL!!!

February 24, 2011 - 11:35pm
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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

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