A recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration update is warning dieters to avoid “potentially dangerous” human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) over-the-counter weight-loss products identified as homeopathic. They are sold as oral drops, pellets and sprays and can be found online and in some retail stores.

HCG is a hormone that is produced by the human placenta during pregnancy, according to the FDA. Some HCG products claim to reset one’s metabolism and result in dramatic weight loss. But their use is marketed in connection with a very low calorie diet — 500 per day, which FDA experts say can be hazardous to one’s health.

“These products are marketed with incredible claims and people think that if they’re losing weight, HCG must be working,” Elizabeth Miller, acting director of FDA’s division of nonprescription drugs and health fraud said in a news release. “But the data simply does not support this. Any loss is from severe calorie restriction. Not from the HCG.”

HCG is FDA-approved for female infertility and some medical conditions but not weight loss.

The FDA and the Federal Trade Commission have issued warning letters to several companies for selling illegal, unapproved homeopathic HCG weight-loss drugs that make unsupported claims.

For a list of companies and products and more information about the FDA’s concerns: www.fda.gov/hcgdiet.

Consumers who have purchased homeopathic HCG for weight loss should stop using it and report any harmful effects at www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/default.htm or 800-332-1088.

— Anne Aurand, The Bulletin