The online medical database, PubMed, lists a total of 20,489 research articles on hCG as of May, 2013. Just 93 of these have anything to do with weight loss, most of them loosely so. Furthermore, the past decade reveals 5,341 articles on hCG, just 33 of which are loosely associated with weight loss. Of those 33, none are actual studies of the hCG diet for weight loss. This subject is clearly not a high priority in medical research.
Nevertheless, one particular study stands out, which does not even get listed in the above search. The reason is because it focuses on the effects of weight loss on cardiovascular risk factors. The hCG diet just happened to be the vehicle for driving weight loss. The full reference information of the study is:
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) 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 scheduled program was as follows: patients took B12, supplements, and hCG for two days prior to starting a 36-day very low calorie diet. This program was followed by 35 days wherein calorie consumption was slowly increased. Sugar and starch intake were restricted during this period. The hCG treatment was then stopped.
The most weight lost by any subject was about 37.8 lbs. The least was 5.5 lbs. The article did not explain the reason behind this wide discrepancy except to say that those who started out the heaviest lost the most weight.
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.
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.
Changes in CD34-positive cells are best summarized as a correlation with changes in percent body fat. This study found a strong positive correlation between an increase in this cell type and the percent change (i.e., amount reduced) in body fat. This is the result that we want to see. It means that more cells promoting vascular health are produced as body fat gets reduced.
Nevertheless, one particular study stands out, which does not even get listed in the above search. The reason is because it focuses on the effects of weight loss on cardiovascular risk factors. The hCG diet just happened to be the vehicle for driving weight loss. The full reference information of the study is:
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) 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 scheduled program was as follows: patients took B12, supplements, and hCG for two days prior to starting a 36-day very low calorie diet. This program was followed by 35 days wherein calorie consumption was slowly increased. Sugar and starch intake were restricted during this period. The hCG treatment was then stopped.
The most weight lost by any subject was about 37.8 lbs. The least was 5.5 lbs. The article did not explain the reason behind this wide discrepancy except to say that those who started out the heaviest lost the most weight.
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.
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.
Changes in CD34-positive cells are best summarized as a correlation with changes in percent body fat. This study found a strong positive correlation between an increase in this cell type and the percent change (i.e., amount reduced) in body fat. This is the result that we want to see. It means that more cells promoting vascular health are produced as body fat gets reduced.
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Download Dr. Dennis Clark's free report, Myths and Truths About HCG Weight Loss, for a scientist's perspective on issues with the hCG diet. Also see what Dr. Clark recommends for where to order hCG.
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