Question: I am going to be starting hCG shots here soon just wondering what is your feedback if any on these shots to lose weight.
Answer: It's been claimed for a long time that administering hCG (Human chorionic gonadotropin) by daily injection in small doses, e.g., 125 I.U., facilitates redistribution of fat shifting it from the midsection, where the fat is the most harmful, to the lower areas around the hips -- but no significant weight loss difference comparing with a 500 Calorie a day diet (The Lancet, Nov. 6, 1954).
In 1973, however, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (volume 26, p. 211) published a study showing that a very low calorie diet alone was less efficient in both weight loss and fat redistribution but these results ailed to be confirmed in 1974 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (volume 29, p. 948). The failure to show beneficial effects persisted:
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1963 12:230
- JAMA 1976 Nov 29;236(22):2495
- West Journal of Medicine 127:461 , 1977
- Archives of Internal Medicine 137:151-155, 1977
- S Afr Med J. 1990 Feb 17;77(4):185
However, recent (indirect) facts support some hopes. It's been shown that hCG increased the levels of Adiponectin (ADP, published in the Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation 2006;62:61-65 ) and that ADP --an adipocyte hormone involved in glucose and lipid metabolism -- "acts in the brain to decrease body weight" (Nature Medicine 10, 524 - 529 (2004)
In 2003,
Dr. Belluscio published a study suggesting that oral pills of hCG could be effective in promoting beneficial body fat redistribution during a very low calorie diet.
