Re: HCG diet controversy

[Guest guest]

This is very interesting. I was wondering if it also has any implications of lowering cholesterol. Seems I have high cholesterol, triglycerides and I don't eat a fatty diet to say the least. I am using the nandrolone and wonder if that is the cause of my high cholesterol. I am afraid I will loose muscle mass. Not to digress, I do hold some fat in my stomach area .. I have to work pretty hard to keep it down. I would be interested, and I know you cover a lot of this in your book, about hcg as a way to loose belly fat and if indeed it would help with my cholesterol problems. Thank you.

From: Vergel <Vergel@...> Pozhealth < > Sent: Thursday, July 5, 2012 4:18 PM Subject: HCG diet controversy

Someone asked about HCG use for belly fat reduction.I do not know if you guys have been hearing about the HCG diet.

I did not believe all the hype on the HCG diet, but I am convinced now that it works after seeing great results in several women (my sisters, etc) that have had problems for years with diets. They are losing weight and they are keeping it off.

The HCG diet has been around for 50 years but now is very popular. The crazy thing is that it is one where people eat 500 calories a day until they reach the desired weight. I know it sounds very unhealthy! Women inject small doses of HCG daily subcutaneously.

I am writing a review of the diet as part of my upcoming book.

I have lost 8 pounds (without wanting to!) ever since I started using HCG (I eat at least 2500 calories a day). It has been a slow weight loss over the past 3 months and it is mostly fat. I am also not injecting testosterone (just HCG alone), so that may be a big factor on why I have lost all that weight while eating the same.

This is a paragraph from an old paper:

Since Simeons (1, 2) introduced his method of treating obesity using human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG), there has been continuing controversy concerning the effect of HCG on the program. Simeons and his followers have generally not claimed that patients eating 500 kcal daily will lose more weight when receiving HCG. They (2-4) have claimed that patients are less hungry and feel better because of the HCG and are thus mor eapt to remain in treatment. There have been a number of literature reports of double-blind studies (5-9) concerning the effect of HCG on weight loss.Only one (8) indicated HCG may be of more value than a placebo. However, as pointed out by Gusman (4), most investigators significantly altered Simeons' basic program. Both Simeons and his followers have vociferously maintained that strict adherence to the basics of Simeons' program is essential if HCG is to be useful.

The FDA has said this diet is basically a scam, but I am not convinced after seeing so many women adhere to it for so long.

From wikipedia:

The "HCG diet"

British endocrinologist Albert T. W. Simeons' proposed HCG as an adjunct to an ultra-low-calorie weight-loss diet (less than 500 calories). Simeons, while studying pregnant women in India on a calorie-deficient diet, and "fat boys" with pituitary problems (Frölich's syndrome) treated with low-dose hCG, claimed that both lost fat rather than lean (muscle) tissue. He reasoned that hCG

must be programming thehypothalamus to do this in the former cases in order to protect the developing fetus by promoting mobilization and consumption of abnormal, excessive adipose deposits. Simeons later published a book entitled Pounds and Inches, designed to combat obesity. Simeons, practicing at Salvator Mundi International Hospital in Rome, Italy, recommended low-dose daily hCG injections (125 IU) in combination with a customized ultra-low-calorie (500 cal/day, high-protein, low-carbohydrate/fat) diet loss of adipose tissue without loss of lean

tissue.

Simeons' results were not reproduced by other researchers and in 1976 in response to complaints the FDA required Simeons and others to include the following disclaimer on all advertisements:

THESE WEIGHT REDUCTION TREATMENTS INCLUDE THE INJECTION OF HCG, A DRUG WHICH HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION AS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE IN THE TREATMENT OF OBESITY OR WEIGHT CONTROL. THERE IS NO SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE THAT HCG INCREASES WEIGHT LOSS BEYOND THAT RESULTING FROM CALORIC RESTRICTION, THAT IT CAUSES A MORE ATTRACTIVE OR "NORMAL" DISTRIBUTION OF FAT, OR THAT IT DECREASES THE HUNGER AND DISCOMFORT ASSOCIATED WITH CALORIE-RESTRICTIVE DIETS

— 1976 FDA-mandated disclaimer for HCG diet advertisements

There was a resurgence of interest in the "HCG diet" following promotion by convicted fraudster Trudeau.

Review studies refuting the HCG diet have been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,[22] both concluding that hCG is neither safe nor effective as a weight-loss aid.[23]

A meta analysis found that studies supporting hCG for weight loss were of poor methodological quality and concluded that "there is no scientific evidence that HCG is effective in the treatment of obesity; it does not bring about weight-loss or fat-redistribution, nor does it reduce hunger or induce a feeling of well-being".[24]

There is no scientific evidence that HCG is effective in the treatment of obesity. The meta-analysis found insufficient evidence supporting the claims that HCG is effective in altering fat-distribution, hunger reduction or in inducing a feeling of well-being. The authors stated “…the use of HCG should be regarded as an inappropriate therapy for weight reduction…†In the authors opinion, “Pharmacists and physicians should be alert on the use of HCG for Simeons therapy. The results of this meta-analysis support a firm standpoint against this improper indication. Restraints on physicians

practicing this therapy can be based on our findings.â€

— American Society of Bariatric Physicians'[25] commentary on Lijesen et. al (1995)[24]

According to the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, no new clinical trials have been published since the definitive 1995 meta-analysis.[25]

The scientific consensus is that any weight loss reported by individuals on an "hCG diet" may be attributed entirely to the fact that such diets prescribe calorie intake of between 500 and 1,000 calories per day, substantially below recommended levels for a adult, to the point that this may risk health effects associated with malnutrition.[26] For comparison, hCG diets typically recommend calorie intake approximately half that of the inmates at Auschwitz, where inmates engaged in heavy labor received 1,700 calories per day and those on light work 1,300.[27]

-- Regards, VergelBooks

[Guest guest]

HCG Diet

I have been on that diet for 8.5 wks. I had Visceral Fat for about 10 months.

Any way I did the HCG sublingual 0.4cc at morning before breakfast and at 5pm

before dinner. I ate a 500cal. Diet and in 6 wks lost 35lbs, 3.5 inches around

my waist. Ian now on a 1500 cal diet with increased protein, fiber, and added

good Fat. In 2 wks I go to 1600 cal. Diet with increased of various proteins,

begs. And good fats. When I started 1500cal. I was stuffed, but you learn how to

balance all of it with apples, oranges, and almonds. It's great and no shots for

me. I got this from my Doctor and monitored by a Dietician.

Sent from my iPhone

[Guest guest]

HCG Diet

I have been on that diet for 8.5 wks. I had Visceral Fat for about 10 months.

Any way I did the HCG sublingual 0.4cc at morning before breakfast and at 5pm

before dinner. I ate a 500cal. Diet and in 6 wks lost 35lbs, 3.5 inches around

my waist. Ian now on a 1500 cal diet with increased protein, fiber, and added

good Fat. In 2 wks I go to 1600 cal. Diet with increased of various proteins,

begs. And good fats. When I started 1500cal. I was stuffed, but you learn how to

balance all of it with apples, oranges, and almonds. It's great and no shots for

me. I got this from my Doctor and monitored by a Dietician.

Sent from my iPhone