Daily Health News Blog

Based on the work of a British physician in the 1950s, the HCG diet combines daily injections or liquid supplements of a hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), with severe calorie restriction (500 a day). Proponents claim HCG produces fast and hunger-free weight loss and that it targets “problem” fat areas (the belly, hips and thighs), while preserving, or even increasing, muscle mass. It has been called a miracle—and a scam. HCG is produced in small amounts in both men and women; more is produced during pregnancy. Doctors use it, legitimately, to treat infertility. More dubiously, however, some doctors prescribe it as a weight-loss aid. A number of websites now sell nonprescription “homeopathic” formulas that you take as drops, pellets or sprays—a more “convenient” option. What you need to know • There’s no good evidence that the diet works. Controlled studies have shown that people lose the same amount of weight when they restrict calories to 500 a day, whether they