HCG diet, losing 7 kg in three weeks with the pregnancy hormone: here are the risks

It's called HCG diet and it is a dietary regime born in the 50s thanks to the British endocrinologist Albert T. W. Simeons and that came back in fashion in recent years. Combining reduced calorie intake with pregnancy hormone administration, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), it promises to lose at least 7 kilograms in just 3 weeks. The particular thing is that it would favor the reduction of fat without the loss of muscles thanks to the reprogramming of the hypothalamus and the zeroing of the metabolism: this is how it works.

How does the HCG diet work?

The HCG diet is the diet created by the British endocrinologist Albert T. W. Simeons in the 1950s and, since it could make you lose many kilograms in a short time, it came back in fashion. It provides for the daily intake of 500 calories high in protein and low in carbohydrates and fats, and especially of human chorionic gonadotropin or HCG, which is the hormone that women develop during pregnancy that allows the growth of the fetus. In this way, the metabolism would be speeded up, helping the body to release calories and thus favoring weight loss. HCG as a drug is used primarily to treat fertility problems, it is therefore not sold without a prescription and its alleged effects on physical fitness have not been scientifically proven.

According to experts, in fact, weight loss would be due only to low calorie intake and not to the hormone, which would be ineffective to reduce hunger. Before undergoing a similar diet, it would be good to seek advice from a doctor as you may face health problems such as nutritional deficiencies, malnutrition, gallstones, irregular heartbeat and electrolyte imbalance. As if that were not enough, the weight would be regained as soon as the calories consumed are increased again.