Atkins, Dukan and The Zone were left behind. Now The new (and dangerous fashion) for weight loss is the pregnancy hormone diet. It consists of a very calorie-restricted diet (500 per day) supplemented with an injection of HCG hormone (human chorionic gonadotropin), produced when the fertilized egg adheres to the uterine wall after conception.
It is assumed that men and women can do it interchangeably, and promises not only a rapid weight loss of up to 3 kilos per week, but also reduce fat in localized areas such as thighs, hips and belly. Opinions about this diet are controversial, because everything that glitters is not gold and its effects can be very dangerous.
What is the pregnancy hormone diet?
The HCG diet (by the acronym Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in English) was invented by Dr. Albert T. Simeons in 1954, became popular in the 1970s and in recent years has regained strength as a miracle diet capable of reducing weight soon.
It consists of injections that when applied in the most problematic areas, drag and metabolize the fat that has accumulated.
In turn, when the hormonal HCG is active in the system, it is produced a fat release system that supplies the body with the energy it needs to survive with an intake of just 500 calories daily, eliminating the feeling of hunger and discomfort.
When the woman is pregnant, the hormone acts on the hypothalamus causing the body to mobilize fat stores to provide the fetus with the energy it needs to develop. This same effect would be achieved with injections in localized areas, even when the woman is not pregnant. And equally in man.
With the fury of the new pregnancy hormone diet, the network has been flooded with pages that sell it in the form of drops, pills, creams, aerosols.
However, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved the use of injections as a treatment for infertility or hormonal problems, but not as weight loss medication. Any other modality is not approved and is considered illegal.
An extremely calorie restrictive diet
The prescription of consuming 500 calories a day is too restrictive, keep in mind that it would be equivalent to eating 100 grams of chocolate, or a cup of coffee, 100 grams of meat, a vegetable and a fruit.
To maintain an optimal nutritional status, the WHO (World Health Organization) recommends a caloric intake of 2000 to 2500 Kcal / day for an adult male and 1500 to 2000 kcal / day for women.
Therefore, 500 kcal is far below of what could be considered healthy. Some consider rubbing starvation or anorexia.
The detractors of the diet consider that the injections have no effect and that what really makes you lose weight is that the calorie intake is very small.
Complications of the pregnancy hormone diet
You can lose between 12 and 15 kilos in a month and eliminate localized fats. Seen this way it seems tempting, but we already know that miracle diets always hide their risks, and in this case it can also lead to serious complications, for example:
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Gallstone formation
- Imbalance of electrolytes that make muscles and nerves work properly
- Irregular heartbeat
- Impaired thyroid function
- Blood clot formation
- Depression
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Breast enlargement
- Even the FDA reported the case of a patient who had a pulmonary embolism
