SOBRAF recognizes the importance of HCG as an adjuvant and condemns the indiscriminate use of the hormone.
The Brazilian Society for Physiology Studies (SOBRAF), in line with some reports on television and the internet earlier this week, is against the indiscriminate use of the HCG hormone by unqualified professionals and the unregulated sale of the substance.
The reports in question show people selling HCG over the internet, in its injectable form, and recommending its use without a prescription or medical follow-up. All of these activities contradict the protocol for using HCG, validated by SOBRAF and the Healthy Longevity Group on the basis of consistent scientific research and the direct clinical practice of thousands of doctors in Brazil and other countries.
According to these guidelines, Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin is recommended as an adjunct in the treatment of obesity, combined with a low-calorie diet, for a period not exceeding 40 days. It is used in small doses, administered sublingually and not by injection.
When used correctly, by a properly trained and qualified doctor, the substance does not cause serious health risks. “The biggest risk for obese patients is maintaining high weight, or more specifically, maintaining high levels of fat. Obese people are at greater risk of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and thromboembolic diseases, among others,” emphasizes the president of SOBRAF, Dr. Italo Rachid CREMESP 114612.
Although the reports contain important allegations, some points have not been correctly clarified. In order to avoid any misunderstandings and offer safe guidance to doctors, SOBRAF has prepared this material, based on an interview given by its president, Italo Rachid.
HCG is not a weight-loss drug!
First of all, explains the doctor, it must be made clear that the reports are correct in stating that HCG does not lose weight. What reduces weight is a restrictive, low-calorie diet. The use of the hormone is advocated as an auxiliary metabolic tool in the slimming process. In the bodies of both men and women, HCG sends a message to the brain similar to the one activated in the first three months of pregnancy. From this input, the body begins to spare structural proteins and muscles, ensuring that the necessary energy supply is obtained primarily by recruiting and burning visceral fat.
“This is HCG's main mechanism of action when associated with a low-calorie diet: to promote the burning of highly inflammatory white fat, while maintaining lean mass and preventing ketosis in the patient, as a way of helping to maintain health during the weight loss process,” he says.
Prescription restricted to doctors trained and qualified to handle HCG protocols!
The hypocaloric diet combined with HCG is a therapeutic model restricted to doctors trained and qualified in this area, with the ability to identify inclusion and exclusion criteria.
However, it is very important that other health professionals know about the method and are able to refer their obese patients to the right doctor at the right time in order to get the best results. That's why the Longevity Group's III Workshop on Biochemical Physiological Nutrition, which will take place on October 10 in São Paulo, will address the topic for nutritionists and nutrition students.
An effective, safe method validated by the strength of clinical evidence and scientific research.
HCG has been used clinically and safely as an adjunct to a low-calorie diet for obesity for over 60 years. We have an exchange with doctors from all over the world, some with a caseload of more than 10,000 patients, and they all reaffirm the safety of the method - as does the medical literature.
Here are some bibliographical references on the subject:
Asher, W.L., Harper, H.W. Effect of human chorionic gonadotrophin on weight loss, hunger, and feeling of well-being. Am J Clin Nutr. 1973 Feb; 26(2):211-8;
Belluscio, D.O. The hCG (human Choriogonadotropin) method for obesity treatment: a neglected issue. Available at: http://www.hcgobesity.org/;
Belluscio, D.O., Ripamonte, L., Wolansky, M. Utility of an Oral Presentation of HCG (Human Choriogonadotropin) for the Management of Obesity: A Double Blind Study.The Original Internist. December, 2009.
Bosch, B., Venter, I., Stewart, R.I., Bertram, SR. Human chorionic gonadotrophin and weight loss. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. S Afr Med J. 1990 Feb 17; 77(4):185-9;
Fleigelman, R., Fried, G.H. Metabolic effects of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in rats. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1970 Nov;135(2):317-9;
Shetty, K.R., Kalkhoff, R.K. Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) treatment of obesity. Arch Intern Med. 1977 Feb;137(2):151-5.
HCG protocol
The protocol for using HCG is the subject of the “Metabology and Pathophysiology of Obesity” module, which is part of the Healthy Longevity Group's latu senso postgraduate program. “Adopting these guidelines is essential for safe and effective hormone therapy,” concludes the doctor.
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