HCG Diet Dangers: Is Fast Weight Loss Worth the Risk? It’s dubious. There’s no good evidence it works. But hCG dieters insist they’re dropping pounds fast Thousands of people are latching onto a diet that promises rapid weight loss—up to 30 pounds a month—and, judging by its recent surge in popularity, actually delivers. But the so-called hCG diet is either a weight-loss miracle or a dangerous fraud, depending on who’s talking. The plan combines drops or injections of hCG, a pregnancy hormone, with just 500 calories a day. While some believers are so convinced of its power they’ll willingly stick themselves with a syringe, the government and mainstream medical community say it’s a scam that carries too many health risks and doesn’t lead to long-term weight loss. “It’s reckless, irresponsible, and completely irrational,” says Pieter Cohen, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Can you lose weight on it? Of course, but

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