HCG

• HCG is a hormone that is first produced by a developing embryo shortly after conception. It is later produced in the mother's placenta.
  
  

History as a Weight Loss Aid

• British endocrinologist A.T.W. Simeons developed a very low calorie diet (VLCD) in the middle of the last century. He noticed that when he administered HCG to patients eating a 500-calorie-a-day diet, they lost weight while preserving lean muscle tissue. These findings were published in a 1971 manuscript, "Pounds and Inches."
  
  

How It Works

• Simeons concluded that HCG programs the hypothalamus to preserve lean body mass while shedding body fat. This would help during pregnancy, he thought, by helping protect the fetus from the development of abnormal amounts of fatty tissue. When a dieter takes oral HCG drops, the same thing happens: The brain is signaled to rid the body of excess fat.
  
  

Safety and Effectiveness

• HCG's proponents and a number of Internet testimonials claim rapid weight loss results as dramatic as 10 pounds in 10 days. However, the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" found that in a double-blind study, HCG drops were largely ineffective in accelerating weight loss.
  
  

Where to Buy Oral HCG

• Only a doctor can prescribe the drops. Most online sites that purport to sell HCG sell only mixing kits. Research a doctor in your area who offers a supervised HCG weight-loss program.