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 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) 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); 2) Daily sublingual treatments by vitamin B12 (1,000 mcg per day); 3) 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; 4) Daily treatments of hCG nasal spray, at doses of 125 - 180 IU.
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 greatest weight loss by any subject was about 37.8 lbs and the least was 5.5 lbs. The authors did not explain this wide discrepancy except to say that the greatest losses happened 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 CD34-positive cells in circulation? Researchers are continually looking for additional indicators of cardiovascular health other than blood lipids. One of the relatively new indicators is a cell type that negatively correlates with damage to the lining of vascular tissue. Damage to cells that help replenish such tissue accompanies obesity. As the numbers of such cells go down, damage goes up. An increase of one of these types of cells, called CD34-positive cells, may therefore be an indicator of improvement of 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) 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); 2) Daily sublingual treatments by vitamin B12 (1,000 mcg per day); 3) 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; 4) Daily treatments of hCG nasal spray, at doses of 125 - 180 IU.
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 greatest weight loss by any subject was about 37.8 lbs and the least was 5.5 lbs. The authors did not explain this wide discrepancy except to say that the greatest losses happened 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 CD34-positive cells in circulation? Researchers are continually looking for additional indicators of cardiovascular health other than blood lipids. One of the relatively new indicators is a cell type that negatively correlates with damage to the lining of vascular tissue. Damage to cells that help replenish such tissue accompanies obesity. As the numbers of such cells go down, damage goes up. An increase of one of these types of cells, called CD34-positive cells, may therefore be an indicator of improvement of 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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