From the FDA's DRUG BULLETIN:
Quote:
In addition to miracle pills with unproven claims, another type of dieter's delusion is still being perpetrated by some diet clinics years after both the FDA and the American Medical Association stated it was useless for weight loss.
This deceptive practice is injection with HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin). HCG is a hormone extracted from urine of pregnant women. It is approved by FDA for treatment of certain problems of the male reproductive system and in stimulating ovulation in women who have had difficulty becoming pregnant. No evidence has been presented, however, to substantiate claims for HCG as a weight-loss aid.
An article in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) in 1974 stated:
"No convincing scientific evidence exists that human chorionic gonadotropin has any pharmacologic effect in weight reduction. Hence, claims to the public that such effects do occur are a misrepresentation of the scientific facts."
FDA requires all labeling and advertising of HCG to state that it has not been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of obesity. The ads must also state that HCG is not approved by FDA as safe and effective in treatment of obesity of weight control.
Yet the use of HCG for weight loss continues. For instance, advertisements for weight-loss clinics using HCG appeared in the Chicago area in the summer of 1982. The ads included the required disclaimer, but in type much smaller than that used to extol the virtues of the clinics' program.
The pill or shot to enable a person to lose weight without danger and without eating less has not been formulated. And the garment or other device to let one firm up or lose inches without moving a muscle has yet to be invented.
It looks like those who want to be slim will have to resort to those old, unglamorous standbys--eating less and exercising more--to shake those excess pounds.
At least until the next waving of the magic wand.
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Boy, it seems that a really rotten idea can be impossible to stamp out! It keeps resurfacing decade after decade.
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