Experts, dieters weight benefits of HCG diet ::

Losing weight can be difficult without help. Calorie reion, junk food reduction and the consumption of fruits and vegetables may not always lead to the kind of weight loss dieters are looking for. Enter the HCG diet, which uses homeopathic pregnancy hormone to burn fat efficiently. Recently, the Arizona Daily Star took a look at the diet.

The HCG diet originated in the 1950s, when physician A.T.W. Simeons wrote Pounds and Inches, an examination of the use of small amounts of a pregnancy hormone called human chorionic gonadotropic to help obese individuals shed pounds.

According to the newspaper, what he found was that the application of homeopathic HCG helped dieters burn fat as part of a calorie-reed eating regimen.

Today, HCG is available as a dietary supplement. But does it work? Many believe that it does and many feel that the program has been successful.

Most of the regimen\'s meals center on fruits and vegetables, two food groups that provide energy and nutrition without the calorie and fat load of processed, sugary snacks or fast food.

Eating more fruits and vegetables while reducing one\'s reliance on processed food may reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and contribute to improved heart health, according to the American Heart Association.

Likewise, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends consuming at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. The agency adds that fresh produce is an important instrument in the battle against obesity. Currently, it estimates that one in three individuals are obese in the U.S., and another one in three are overweight.