Member Center

Helena News

Extreme HCG Diet, is it safe?

Posted: Jan 25, 2011 6:20 AM by Jessica Hoppe (KBZK Bozeman)
Updated: Jan 25, 2011 9:17 AM


Bookmark and Share
Rating:

0.0 (0 votes)

BOZEMAN - A Cable News Network poll taken the first week of January shows that the number one New Year's resolution is losing weight. With that news, a diet that's been around for a while is resurfacing.

We checked out both sides of this popular HCG diet.

The HCG diet is only 500 calories a day and is limited to small amounts of dairy and carbohydrates, along with no alcohol and you give yourself daily injections. However, the HCG diet claims you will lose up to a pound a day without going hungry.

Naturopath Physician Dr. Michael Lang explained how that is.

"We're talking about the fat that's breaking down and putting nutrients into the blood, it's not in your stomach, but people have that satiety, or satisfaction and they just don't have the hunger," Lang said.

Lang said the hormone you inject into your body is the same one a woman produces during pregnancy. It tells the body to begin breaking down fat and gives you that full feeling on fewer calories, but is it safe?

Another naturopathic physician, Dr. Lemly, says no, it's not.

"The caloric intake is so restricted and minimal anyone is going to lose weight on that. It would not come as any surprise to me to hear of people losing hair or experiencing other side effects as a result of inadequate caloric intake," he said.

Lemly also said the HCG diet is similar to starving yourself and doesn't recommend it to his patients. He believes most people will gain the weight back because they won't have the self control to carry over the changes after the diet ends.

"Everybody wants that magic bullet for weight loss and wants to be beautiful, but no one wants to address the diet and lifestyle that led them to get overweight in the first place," Lemly told us.

HCG supporter, Dr. Lang advocates the diet because it works and he hasn't seen any negative side effects with his patients, however, he won't be convincing Dr. Lemly anytime soon.

"We just don't know the safety or long term effects of it. What kind of effects it may have on cardiac tissue, lung tissue, bone tissue, your hormone health, everything else. It just doesn't seem like a reasonable application to me at all...no," Lemly said.

Topics: HCG diet, weight loss, Montana health

Comments

Recent Top Stories