As soon as I heard about the HCG diet, my skeptical antenna raised.  This article does a great job at looking at the research and the history of the HCG diet.

Recent study shows a poor diet changes DNA to produce cancer in the subjects, and their offspring.  We are now living in the 2nd and 3rd generations of artificial, lifeless, nutrient deplete diets so it is no wonder that we see an epidemic of cancers.