The HCG Diet: The Risks are High.
At the top of the list of odd fad diets, the original form of the HCG diet has been widely discredited by healthcare professionals and scientists. However, many people are still enticed by the diet’s promises of losing up to a half pound or a pound a day by combining hormone injections, pellets, drops, or sprays with a restrictive 500-calorie diet — a risky proposition, considering the lack of research on long-term effects. It has not been proven safe by the Food and Drug Adm