WHO recommends against obesity drugs for children under 10

The World Health Organization has issued its first global guidelines on childhood obesity, strongly recommending against weight-loss drugs, bariatric surgery, or medical devices for children under 10. Health officials like Luz María De Regil emphasize that lifestyle changes, diet, and exercise must remain the foundation of care due to insufficient evidence regarding the long-term safety of GLP-1 drugs in young children. The guidelines come as global childhood obesity rates have quadrupled since 1990, affecting 170 million children and adolescents in 2024.

WHO guidelines on medical interventions

• ▪The World Health Organization stated that weight-loss drugs may be considered for adolescents aged 10 to 19 with obesity only after supervised lifestyle interventions have failed
• ▪The World Health Organization stated that bariatric surgery could be considered for physically and mentally mature adolescents with severe obesity after six months of unsuccessful treatment
• ▪The World Health Organization issued global guidelines on October 7, 2026, recommending against the use of obesity medications, bariatric surgery, or weight-management devices for children under the age of 10

WHO recommendations on lifestyle interventions

• ▪The World Health Organization suggested that supervised digital support, such as activity trackers and online games that encourage movement, is an optional tool to support physical activity
• ▪The World Health Organization endorsed tailored diets, physical activity, and combined behavioral programs involving caregivers as the primary foundation of obesity care for children under 10

WHO concerns over GLP-1 safety

• ▪Laurence Grummer-Strawn, the World Health Organization's head of Nutrition and Food Safety Actions, expressed concern over starting children on GLP-1 drugs early without evidence that they can be used as a temporary treatment
• ▪Luz María De Regil, director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at the World Health Organization, stated there is currently insufficient evidence regarding the long-term safety and effectiveness of GLP-1 drugs in young children

Approvals of GLP-1 drugs for children

• ▪The European Union allows the use of Novo Nordisk's Saxenda for certain children aged six to 11, and pharmaceutical companies are testing GLP-1 medications in children as young as six
• ▪Novo Nordisk's GLP-1 medicines Wegovy and Saxenda are approved for weight loss in adolescents aged 12 and older in both the United States and the European Union

Global childhood obesity statistics

• ▪In 2024, globally, 400 million children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 were overweight, including 170 million with obesity (quadrupled since 1990), and 70 million children aged 5 to 9 were obese
• ▪According to UNICEF data cited by Reuters, obesity has surpassed being underweight as the most common form of malnutrition in school children and adolescents worldwide

Debatable claims

• ▪Lifestyle interventions are insufficient to combat severe childhood obesity
• ▪Access to affordable healthy food is more critical to halting childhood obesity than medical treatments
• ▪Starting young children on GLP-1 drugs does more harm than good