What is the HCG Diet, and Is It Right for You?

As there are so many weight-loss programs available, it‘s important to educate yourself and determine which program is right for you. One diet you may have heard of is the HCG diet. Let’s explore what the HCG diet is and what it can do for you as you commit to losing weight.

What is HCG?

During early pregnancy, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is released in large amounts. Home pregnancy tests use this hormone as a marker. It has also been used to treat fertility issues in both men and women. It stimulates the ovaries, helps a woman’s eggs mature, and stimulates testosterone production in men’s testicles. Additionally, it helps maintain the production of important hormones such as progesterone to support the healthy growth of the uterus and fetus. Levels of HCG decline after the third month of pregnancy. HCG can be a powerful source to boost metabolism, and a boosted metabolism leads to fat burning. ACAM’s (American College for Advancement in Medicine) Andrea Purcell, ND explains how this hormone works:

“One of the roles of HCG in pregnancy is to increase metabolism by allowing the fat that the pregnant woman has stored to be accessible to her during famine. In other words, the fat stores can be broken down by the HCG and used as food for her and the baby should the food supply run out while she is pregnant. This ensures a healthy, full-term pregnancy. In a non-pregnant person, we can recreate this metabolic situation by administering HCG and putting the patient on a low-calorie diet. When we do this, the fat that the patient wants to lose becomes the primary food source as it is broken down and used as energy. In essence, we are forcing the body to burn its own fat stores. Thousands of…

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