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 experiment was designed to follow a modified Simeons protocol, as follows:
1) 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; 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) Daily sublingual treatments by vitamin B12 (1,000 mcg per day).
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.
Moreover, the average decrease in body fat was 12.4 percent. This was accompanied by an average mean decrease of 5.7 percent lean body mass. In other words, the amount of fat loss was more than double the amount lost in lean body mass. This result confirms what Dr. Simeons had already shown more than a half century ago.
Regarding the accepted indicators of cardiovascular risk, the main results showed statistically significant improvements in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol, and the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol. Additionally, improvements also occurred in levels of triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, and VLDL cholesterol. The only measure that did not change was HDL cholesterol.
And as for those CD34-positive cells? Scientists are always looking for new indicators of cardiovascular health other than blood lipids. Cell types such as CD34-positive cells may be one. Their production negatively correlate with damage to the lining of vascular tissue. Damage to cells that help repair such tissue correlate with obesity. When the production of these goes down, damage increases. Production of CD34-positive cells is an example of a potential indicator of improved 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 experiment was designed to follow a modified Simeons protocol, as follows:
1) 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; 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) Daily sublingual treatments by vitamin B12 (1,000 mcg per day).
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.
Moreover, the average decrease in body fat was 12.4 percent. This was accompanied by an average mean decrease of 5.7 percent lean body mass. In other words, the amount of fat loss was more than double the amount lost in lean body mass. This result confirms what Dr. Simeons had already shown more than a half century ago.
Regarding the accepted indicators of cardiovascular risk, the main results showed statistically significant improvements in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol, and the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol. Additionally, improvements also occurred in levels of triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, and VLDL cholesterol. The only measure that did not change was HDL cholesterol.
And as for those CD34-positive cells? Scientists are always looking for new indicators of cardiovascular health other than blood lipids. Cell types such as CD34-positive cells may be one. Their production negatively correlate with damage to the lining of vascular tissue. Damage to cells that help repair such tissue correlate with obesity. When the production of these goes down, damage increases. Production of CD34-positive cells is an example of a potential indicator of improved 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.
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