HCG or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is a hormone produced in pregnancy that is made initially by the developing embryo after conception (hence the positive pregnancy test) and later by the placenta. Its primary role in pregnancy is to help nourish the growing fetus by releasing the nutrients in fat from the mother’s body. This hormonal role has lead to a lot of research that has looked at its potential role in adult weight loss and obesity. While its exact role in fat metabolism can be debated, it is currently thought that it likely exerts its effect by stimulating testosterone, an anabolic hormone that causes weight loss in both men and women.

People fear dietary restriction because they know they will feel hungry or deprived. However, on HCG people do not feel the same as with the usual diets. This occurs because the HCG instructs the body to utilize fat reserves through the hypothalamus. Thus the body becomes flooded with 2000 to 3000 calories from these reserves, which along with the calorie intake, is more than sufficient to take care of one’s daily nourishment. As a result, not only do patients not feel as hungry but their energy levels stay high.

In weight loss management, there are numerous medications and supplements that have variable amounts of effectiveness. One of the intriguing hormonal supplements with a long history in weight loss is HCG. Once popular in the 1970s it fell into disuse until recently. It has now resurfaced as a weight loss medication and is gaining renewed use.