Children under 10 should not be given obesity drugs or GLP-1 weight-loss injections such as Mounjaro and Wegovy, new global guidelines, external from the World Health Organization (WHO) say.
Most of these medications are only licensed for children or adolescents older than this, but some doctors prescribe them off-label, and drug companies are testing them in children as young as six.
WHO says the care should focus on healthy eating and exercise, not medicine or surgery, although they do not oppose drug trials.
Some digital technology, such as activity trackers and any online games that encourage the player to be more active and move, might be useful, it says, based on the limited evidence available.
Estimates suggest 170 million children and adolescents worldwide are obese.
That includes 70 million children aged 5–9. Obesity prevalence in this age group has quadrupled since 1990, rising from 2% to 8%.
In 2024, 35 million children under the age of five were overweight.
Obesity increases the risk of many different diseases, including type 2 diabetes.
Dr Luz De Rigil, Director of Nutrition and Food Safety at WHO, said: "For children under 10, WHO does not recommend obesity medicines, bariatric surgery or weight-management devices. This is a strong recommendation."
Source: BBC News, 7 October 2026
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment