Human chorionic gonadotrophin is a hormone that’s naturally present in the body during pregnancy. Advocates of the hCG diet claim that daily administration of hCG is a safe way to suppress hunger and, thus, lose weight. According to Dr. Oz, “after 50 years of research, there is still no proven medical reason why hCG will keep you from getting hungry.” That’s right, after 50 years, it’s not yet been proven to work and yet thousands of people claim to see dramatic results from it- as much as one to two pounds of weight loss per day! On the flip side, skeptics of the diet warn of serious side effects. Is hCG a weight loss miracle, or is it just too dangerous to try? Dr. Oz digs deep to find the truth.
To begin, Dr. Oz spoke with a practitioner, Dr. Sheri Emma, who offers a six week hCG diet program to her patients. It costs approximately $800 and consists of daily hCG injections and a strict 500 calorie diet. Dr. Emma tried to explain that the hCG diet’s 500 calorie limits are not dangerous because the dieter receives any extra energy from stored body fat. At which point, Dr. Oz admitted that most of us do have “tens of thousands of calories just on hips alone” However, registered dietitian Keri Gans argued that stored fat does not contain the proper amount of vitamins and minerals that the body needs each day. Way to go Keri- I think that’s a very valid point and Dr. Oz seemed to think so, too!
(more…)
