HCG – What It Is & How It Works
We’ve all tried the fad diets, questionable recommendations from friends and suspicious diet aids in order to shed a few kilograms. As most people will attest – these quick-fix solutions have, in most cases, led to more harm than good and have left millions of people world-over desperately searching for something, anything that would truly assist them in their weight loss journey. This is where Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, commonly known as HCG, steps in and proposes a possible solution. It is said to offer its users a straightforward, practical way to shed unwanted weight.
What is HCG?
Before discussing the use of HCG as a weight loss aid, it is important to know what this hormone is and when it naturally occurs. HCG is a placental hormone which is naturally produced during pregnancy. It is actually the preferred way of detecting early pregnancy in blood tests, around 11 days after conception. HCG levels will reach their peak between week 8 to 11 of a typical pregnancy, after which it will decline slightly in order to reach a stable level.
Its main function is to support the ovarian corpus luteum which then supports the endometrial lining. HCG also assists in the production of progesterone and oestrogen during pregnancy. This, in turn, allows for a pregnancy to be maintained. The hormone is also said to assist in consuming fat which is then passed on to the growing, unborn baby.
How can HCG assist with weight loss?
HCG has been proposed as an effective companion to use alongside low-calorie weight loss programmes after reports of increased fat loss, without extensive loss of muscle mass, was observed during the treatment of patients with pituitary problems in India. The lead doctor treating these patients reasoned that HCG was most likely causing this natural response which would normally only occur during pregnancy.
He suggested that this mechanism was the body’s way of protecting and feeding the developing baby even in times where the mother’s calorie intake was not sufficient. In summary, he reasoned that it was in fact responsible for the promotion of both the mobilization and consumption of abnormal, excessive fat tissue.
This would suggest that the use of HCG in combination with a low-calorie diet will lead to effective and efficient weight loss – a perfect solution to an age-old struggle that so many of us have grappled with.