What Is HCG?

Oct 102011

Although the HCG diet protocol is actually several decades old, the increasing number of current weight loss successes experienced with the HCG diet has brought increased attention to HCG and has caused more and more people to ask, “What is HCG and how does it work?”

What is HCG?

HCG is human chorionic gonadotropin, a large glycoprotein made up of 244 amino acids that is found in abundance in pregnant women. It is structurally similar to three pituitary hormones – the luteinizing hormone (LH), the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), all of which are important for regulating growth, sexual development, and reproductive functions.

Scientific interest in gonadotrophins started to peak in the 1920s when several teams of scientists independently observed and described the “gonadotrophic effect” and recognized that HCG could only be detected in pregnant women. This pioneering work was the basis for the A-Z test developed by Selmar Aschheim and Bernhard Zondek, which identified the presence of HCG in the urine of pregnant women and which resulted in the very first scientific pregnancy test.

Although the process has been considerably improved and refined, modern pregnancy tests still rely on measuring HCG levels in urine. HCG is actually naturally produced by both men and women, even non-pregnant women, but in very small quantities. During pregnancy, HCG levels rise significantly from the onset of implantation of the fetus and doubles every 48 to 72 hours up to about the 14th week of pregnancy, after which it starts to taper off.

How Does HCG Cause Weight Loss?

While HCG plays many roles, its main role is to support the growing fetus in the crucial first trimester by ensuring that the fetus consistently receives all the nutrients it requires. HCG does this successfully, despite inconsistent and/or inadequate food intake from the mother, by utilizing the stored fat in the mother’s body. This is what causes weight loss during pregnancy for women who do not eat enough to meet the baby’s nutrient requirements.

The HCG diet, which combines the use of HCG and a very low calorie diet is designed to simulate this combination of conditions to cause rapid weight loss in both men and women. Since the presence of HCG tricks the body into thinking that a pregnancy exists, the very low calorie diet will signal a calorie deficit and cause the HCG to burn stored body fat, causing rapid weight loss. The nutrients released are then utilized by the body to meet energy and nutrient requirements so no sense of deprivation or hunger is experienced by dieters despite the very low calorie diet.

While the thought of a simulated pregnancy might sound scary for men, there is no cause for concern since HCG will not cause any other pregnancy symptoms. It will simply burn stored fat. After all, HCG is naturally produced in men’s bodies as well, so it is completely safe and effective for weight loss for both men and women.

How Are Homeopathic HCG Drops Produced?

HCG can either be extracted from its organic form or produced by genetic modification. Synthetic HCG, produced by recombinant DNA is the more usual form used in the production of homeopathic diet drops. HCG drops are produced by mixing HCG in powder form with bacteriostatic or sterile water. This mix of pharmaceutical grade HCG can either be injected or taken sublingually.

Homeopathic HCG drops are created by taking pharmaceutical HCG drops and diluting it in accordance with the principles of homeopathy. This process significantly reduces the negative side effects of taking pharmaceutical HCG without taking away its potency. The result is a safer but equally effective form of HCG that allows dieters to effectively and rapidly lose unwanted body fat without suffering from hunger or lack of energy.