DALLAS – Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are gaining popularity amongst adults, who’re turning to the brand new drugs as a substitute for the standard – and infrequently ineffective – advice to “eat less and exercise more.”
As the drugs generally known as GLP-1 receptor agonists have gained a fame amongst adults, they’ve change into so is becoming increasingly popular amongst children and young people.
Um every fifth child Obesity exists within the United States, based on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And prescriptions of GLP-1 have also skyrocketed amongst young people. More than 30,000 young people According to a University of Michigan study, 12- to 17-year-olds used GLP-1 in 2023.
Doctors say early intervention for obesity will help prevent later health problems, but prescribing medication to growing children also brings its own complications.
Dr. Chris Straughn, a pediatrician at Medical City Children's Hospital in Dallas, said research shows that GLP-1 may be each effective and protected for youngsters and adolescents, but that this research only shows the effect over just a few years.
“For both children and adults, we simply don’t know. These drugs are so new that we need more time,” Straughn said.
Wegovy, the burden loss equivalent drug Ozempic, is approved by the FDA to be used in children ages 12 and older. It shouldn’t be approved for youngsters under 12, although research continues to be ongoing on younger children. A recent study on Saxenda, a predecessor of Wegovy, found that the drug was effective in children ages 6 to 12.
This style of study is encouraging for using GLP-1 in children.
“Early intervention is a good thing, and that’s what pediatricians place a lot of emphasis on,” Straughn said. “So this can certainly be a tool.”
But there are still many unknowns.
Dr. Dan Cooper – a researcher and pediatrics professor on the University of California, Irvine's School of Medicine – said there are circumstances through which a GLP-1 prescription is sensible, akin to if a toddler is developing or has already developed diabetes. However, for other children the danger calculation is harder.
This is especially because there shouldn’t be much research on the long-term effects of GLP-1 when prescription begins in childhood or adolescence. Cooper said puberty is a very essential time for establishing long-term health, and never providing children's bodies and brains with the nutrients they need for correct development can have long-term effects.
“During this time, there is bone mineralization, muscle building, and likely changes in your brain and behavior related to energy balance,” Cooper said. “When you’re a young adult or older, you can’t do that again.”
It shouldn’t be clear whether GLP-1 use in childhood or adolescence could affect long-term development. And that's exactly what Cooper is all about.
“What is the long-term effect? Nobody knows. So my concern is that we should be very, very careful in using these drugs,” Cooper said.
Overall, Cooper says, parents shouldn't be afraid to ask their children's doctors about GLP-1, they usually shouldn't be afraid of their children taking the medication — when appropriate. For children and adolescents who begin taking GLP-1, Cooper said parents needs to be careful that it doesn’t trigger or worsen depressive symptoms of their child. He also said parents should proceed to encourage healthy eating habits and an energetic lifestyle.
Cooper had one other message for fogeys with obese or obese children: They and their children shouldn’t be ashamed.
“No one should be ashamed of this. People become obese because of our biology,” Cooper said. “Parents should understand that they should not blame themselves and that they should not blame their children for being overweight.”
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