The medical database at the National Institutes of Health (PubMed) lists 20,489 research articles on hCG. Just 93 of them entail anything having to do with weight loss. More recently, the past decade shows 5,341 articles on hCG, 33 of which mention weight loss. None of the latter are actual weight loss studies, though. Scientific interest in this topic seems to be at an all time low.
Nevertheless, one recent study stands out, and does not even get listed in the above search on hCG and weight loss. The reason is because it focuses on the changes in certain cardiovascular risk factors that accompany weight loss. The hCG diet just happened to be the protocol used for achieving weight loss. The full reference data for this study are as follows:
Mikirova NA, Casciari JJ, Hunninghake RE, Beezley MM. Effect of weight reduction on cardiovascular risk factors and CD34-positive cells in circulation. Int J Med Sci. 2011;8(6):445-52.
The study was designed to follow the Simeons protocol for the hCG diet, with a few changes, as follows:
1) Daily sublingual treatments by vitamin B12 (1,000 mcg per day); 2) Oral supplements consisting of the following nutrients: 250 mg tyrosine, 2 mg beta-glucan, 200 mcg selenium, 1 mg folic acid, 5 mg iodine, 7.5 mg potassium iodide, 600 mg magnesium, 5 g vitamin D3, 60 mg coenzyme Q10, 150 mg lipoic acid, 340 mg acetyl-L-carnitine, 100 mg vitamin B complex, and a probiotic (2 billion CFU acidophilus with 2 billion CFU bifidus and 109 mg FOS); 3) Daily treatments of hCG nasal spray, at doses of 125 - 180 IU; 4) Meals totaling 500 calories per day, consisting of: breakfast of coffee/tea with no sugar or one fruit serving, with lunch and dinner each comprising of 3.5 oz of lean protein, a vegetable serving, a bread serving, and a fruit serving.
The program schedule was as follows: patients took supplements, B12, and hCG for two days prior to beginning a 36-day very low calorie diet. This was followed by a 35-day treatment period during which calorie intake was gradually raised while restricting sugar and starch intake. Then the hCG treatment was stopped.
The most weight loss by any individual was about 37.8 lbs. The least was 5.5 lbs. The authors did not explaine that the greatest losses occurred in those who started out the heaviest.
In addition, the mean decrease in body fat was 12.4 percent. This was accompanied by a mean decrease of 5.7 percent lean body mass. In other words, fat loss was more than twice as great as loss of lean body mass. This result is the fat loss that Dr. Simeons described way back in 1954.
Cardiovascular risk indicators also showed a statistically significant improvement in total cholesterol, the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol. Improvement also occurred in levels of triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, and VLDL cholesterol. The HDL cholesterol levels did not change.
What about those circulating CD34-positive cells? Scientists continually search for new indicators of cardiovascular health besides blood lipids. A relatively new indicator is the production of a cell type that negatively correlates with vascular tissue damage. Damage to cells that help replace such tissue correlates with obesity. As the numbers of such cells decrease, damage increases. A rise in a cell type called CD34-positive cells is thought to be an indicator of improvement of vascular health.
Increases in CD34-positive cells are perhaps best summarized as a correlation with changes in body fat. Specifically, this study found a strong positive correlation between a change in percent body fat (i.e., a decrease) and an increase in DC34-positive cells. This is definitely a positive health indicator. It means that more cell types that promote vascular health are produced as body fat decreases.
Nevertheless, one recent study stands out, and does not even get listed in the above search on hCG and weight loss. The reason is because it focuses on the changes in certain cardiovascular risk factors that accompany weight loss. The hCG diet just happened to be the protocol used for achieving weight loss. The full reference data for this study are as follows:
Mikirova NA, Casciari JJ, Hunninghake RE, Beezley MM. Effect of weight reduction on cardiovascular risk factors and CD34-positive cells in circulation. Int J Med Sci. 2011;8(6):445-52.
The study was designed to follow the Simeons protocol for the hCG diet, with a few changes, as follows:
1) Daily sublingual treatments by vitamin B12 (1,000 mcg per day); 2) Oral supplements consisting of the following nutrients: 250 mg tyrosine, 2 mg beta-glucan, 200 mcg selenium, 1 mg folic acid, 5 mg iodine, 7.5 mg potassium iodide, 600 mg magnesium, 5 g vitamin D3, 60 mg coenzyme Q10, 150 mg lipoic acid, 340 mg acetyl-L-carnitine, 100 mg vitamin B complex, and a probiotic (2 billion CFU acidophilus with 2 billion CFU bifidus and 109 mg FOS); 3) Daily treatments of hCG nasal spray, at doses of 125 - 180 IU; 4) Meals totaling 500 calories per day, consisting of: breakfast of coffee/tea with no sugar or one fruit serving, with lunch and dinner each comprising of 3.5 oz of lean protein, a vegetable serving, a bread serving, and a fruit serving.
The program schedule was as follows: patients took supplements, B12, and hCG for two days prior to beginning a 36-day very low calorie diet. This was followed by a 35-day treatment period during which calorie intake was gradually raised while restricting sugar and starch intake. Then the hCG treatment was stopped.
The most weight loss by any individual was about 37.8 lbs. The least was 5.5 lbs. The authors did not explaine that the greatest losses occurred in those who started out the heaviest.
In addition, the mean decrease in body fat was 12.4 percent. This was accompanied by a mean decrease of 5.7 percent lean body mass. In other words, fat loss was more than twice as great as loss of lean body mass. This result is the fat loss that Dr. Simeons described way back in 1954.
Cardiovascular risk indicators also showed a statistically significant improvement in total cholesterol, the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol. Improvement also occurred in levels of triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, and VLDL cholesterol. The HDL cholesterol levels did not change.
What about those circulating CD34-positive cells? Scientists continually search for new indicators of cardiovascular health besides blood lipids. A relatively new indicator is the production of a cell type that negatively correlates with vascular tissue damage. Damage to cells that help replace such tissue correlates with obesity. As the numbers of such cells decrease, damage increases. A rise in a cell type called CD34-positive cells is thought to be an indicator of improvement of vascular health.
Increases in CD34-positive cells are perhaps best summarized as a correlation with changes in body fat. Specifically, this study found a strong positive correlation between a change in percent body fat (i.e., a decrease) and an increase in DC34-positive cells. This is definitely a positive health indicator. It means that more cell types that promote vascular health are produced as body fat decreases.
About the Author:
See Dr. Dennis Clark's scientific views of common issues with the hCG diet in his free report, Myths and Truths About HCG Weight Loss and his recommendations on where to order hCG.
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