logo
New obesity guidelines for kids address when medication is an option

New obesity guidelines for kids address when medication is an option

Yahoo15-04-2025
TORONTO — A new guideline for treating obesity in children and adolescents says medication can be helpful, but that health providers should prioritize addressing nutrition, exercise and psychological needs.
Obesity Canada's first update to the pediatric obesity management guideline in almost 20 years was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal this week.
The organization's scientific director, Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam, says both the scientific understanding and societal impact of obesity have since changed dramatically.
Sockalingam says one of the major changes is the development of GLP-1 agonist drugs — such as Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro — for weight loss that have been studied in adolescents 12 years of age and over.
He says the starting point for treating obesity should be a discussion with patients and their families about what their goals are and what nutrition, exercise and psychological support is needed.
Sockalingam says if those actions aren't working then medication or bariatric surgery might be considered, but only after discussing the benefits and risks with the patient and their family.
If medications are used, it's critical that nutrition, exercise and other needed treatments are also continued, the guideline says.
The discussion about using medication should also include the fact that more research is still needed to determine the long-term effects, Sockalingam said.
The guideline was developed by a committee of experts from several disciplines who evaluated multiple research studies on obesity. Children and adolescents, as well as their families, also gave their input about what would be helpful for them.
Obesity Canada says about one in four children age 11 years and younger and one in three adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age are considered overweight or obese.
Family doctors and other health-care providers should go beyond measuring their patients' body-mass index, or BMI, when assessing them, the guideline says.
That means talking to kids and their families about specific goals other than weight loss, from managing blood pressure and cholesterol to improving their quality of life.
It also emphasizes that health-care providers should avoid using stigmatizing language.
"Some children with obesity and families have a history of negative interactions with health-care providers, including feeling blamed and shamed," the guideline says.
"It is important to use encouraging, supportive words and language during clinical conversations."
The Canadian Paediatric Society says it is reviewing the new guideline.
'Obesity is a complex and multi-faceted issue that demands an individualized response. We appreciate the time and care Obesity Canada put into the updated recommendations," the society said in an emailed statement.
"Our subject matter experts are carefully reviewing the guidelines as we consider adopting them.'
Sockalingam, who is also the psychosocial director for the University Health Network's bariatric surgery program in Toronto, said obesity is a chronic disease and should be treated that way.
"There are struggles across health professions, including some primary-care providers that still are not aware that obesity is a chronic disease and that it requires a multimodal treatment," he said.
Dr. Mélanie Henderson, who was on the pediatric obesity guideline development committee, said providing comprehensive treatment often requires improved access to other specialists, such as psychologists, nutritionists, kinesiologists and social workers.
"(It's) lifestyle and behavioural interventions that's the heart of pediatric obesity management and it remains so, even if you have to increase your modalities by adding pharmacotherapy or bariatric surgery," said Henderson, who is a pediatric endocrinologist and researcher at CHU Sainte-Justine in Montreal.
Those interventions need to be tailored to each child, she said. Rather than giving "sort of blind recommendations that you need to be active one hour per day," talk about what activities the child is interested in and determine what's doable for the family.
Mental health support may be needed to help children and teens deal with problems associated with obesity, including bullying and stigma, she said.
"Obesity is not a personal choice," Henderson said, noting the importance of "helping kids find the confidence in themselves to make the changes, to not get discouraged."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2025.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Liver cancer cases are projected to double, but more than half could be preventable
Liver cancer cases are projected to double, but more than half could be preventable

NBC News

time4 hours ago

  • NBC News

Liver cancer cases are projected to double, but more than half could be preventable

At least 60% of liver cancers could be preventable, according to an analysis published Monday in The Lancet. Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the world, with around 870,000 cases in 2022. That's projected to increase to 1.52 million cases in 2050, the new report found, if no changes are made. The leading cause of liver cancer is viral infections, including the hepatitis B and C viruses. Hepatitis B infections — which are preventable with a vaccine — accounted for 39% of liver cancers in 2022. That's expected to fall slightly, to 36.9%, by 2025. Hepatitis C accounted for 29.1% of liver cancers in 2022 and is also projected to fall, to 25.9%, by 2050. The proportions of alcohol- and obesity-related liver cancers, however, are projected to rise in the next 25 years. Alcohol accounted for 18.8% of liver cancers in 2022, and that is expected to increase to 21.1% in 2050. The share of liver cancers caused by obesity-related disease is projected to increase from 8% to 10.8% by 2050 due to increasing rates of obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol and other metabolic risk factors. Dr. Hashem El-Serag, one of the report's co-authors and chair of the department of medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said the public usually thinks of alcohol as the biggest risk factor for liver cancer. 'I think for most people, if you say cirrhosis, they immediately think of a relative, of someone who was a heavy drinker,' El-Serag said. 'I think the vast majority do not make the tie between MASLD, or fatty liver, and cirrhosis and liver cancer.' MASLD, or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, affects about 25% of adults in the U.S. It's caused by a buildup of fat in the liver. About 5% of U.S. adults have a more severe form, called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), which can lead to scarring, or cirrhosis, of the liver, significantly increasing the risk of cancer. Excess alcohol consumption can also lead to cirrhosis. Liver cancer is still relatively rare in the United States, representing 2.1% of all new cancer diagnoses in 2025. The report estimated that by 2040, U.S. rates of MASLD could more than double, affecting more than 55% of adults. Detecting liver cancer risk factors Earlier detection and effective treatment plans for MASLD can reduce the risk of obesity-related liver cancer, El-Serag said. The most common treatment is weight loss. GLP-1 weight loss drugs, which include Ozempic and Wegovy, are promising, he said. (A clinical trial published in April found that Wegovy treated MASH in about two-thirds of patients.) However, people aren't screened for MASLD like they are for viral hepatitis, El-Serag said. Dr. Arun Jesudian, a hepatologist and the director of liver quality and inpatient liver services at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, said patients are tested for MASLD and/or MASH if they have elevated liver enzymes in their blood. Raising awareness about MASLD among both patients and doctors can lead to more effective testing and diagnosis, Jesudian said. 'I think then we need to make sure that providers who are interacting with these patients are looking at the liver disease component of metabolic syndrome,' he said, referring to patients with a cluster of conditions including high blood sugar, high blood pressure and excess weight. 'So checking liver enzymes, that they know how to assess for fibrosis, even based on these blood test scores.' MASLD and MASH can often be asymptomatic, making self-detection more challenging. 'Right now, it's haphazard. Some people get tested. Others get suspected. Third, who knows?' El-Serag said. Dr. Neehar Parikh, a hepatologist at the University of Michigan who specializes in liver cancer, said he is seeing more patients with MASLD as a driving factor for liver cancer. Patients with MASLD can develop liver cancer without developing cirrhosis, making it even more challenging to detect those cases, Parikh said. Up to 40% of those with liver cancers linked to MASLD don't develop cirrhosis, according to the report. Figuring out who those patients are is the 'million-dollar question,' he said. 'Those patients that develop MASLD that develop liver cancer, you know, how do you screen that population? We don't really know what to do.' Still, Parikh said these types of cases are rare.

New Study Reveals a Hidden Benefit of Weight Loss Drugs for Men
New Study Reveals a Hidden Benefit of Weight Loss Drugs for Men

Yahoo

time8 hours ago

  • Yahoo

New Study Reveals a Hidden Benefit of Weight Loss Drugs for Men

New Study Reveals a Hidden Benefit of Weight Loss Drugs for Men originally appeared on Men's Fitness. These days, many folks turn to drugs like Ozempic to help lose weight. But for men, there may be another compelling reason to consider them: a testosterone boost. According to a new study being presented this week at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting, researchers at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital found that weight loss medications can help reverse low testosterone levels in men with Type 2 diabetes or obesity. The researchers examined health records of 110 men with Type 2 diabetes or obesity to track hormone changes while using GLP-1 receptor agonists. They tracked testosterone levels before starting the medications and followed up for 18 months during treatment. About half of the participants had low or borderline low testosterone initially, with most achieving normal levels by the end of the study. The average age of the group was 54."The increases we observed were more modest than what you would typically see with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). However, they occurred naturally, without testosterone replacement therapy, and likely reflect the body recovering its normal hormone production as weight and insulin resistance improved," Shellsea Portillo Canales, M.D., lead author of the study, told NBC News. Just as weight loss drugs have surged in popularity, so too has testosterone therapy. Between 2019 and 2024, prescriptions for testosterone reportedly jumped from 7.3 million to over 11 million. "Doctors and their patients can now consider this class of medications not only for the treatment of obesity and to control blood sugar, but also to benefit men's reproductive health," Portillo shared in a Study Reveals a Hidden Benefit of Weight Loss Drugs for Men first appeared on Men's Fitness on Jul 15, 2025 This story was originally reported by Men's Fitness on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword

Pharmacies warn of unsustainable demand for weight loss medication
Pharmacies warn of unsustainable demand for weight loss medication

Yahoo

time8 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Pharmacies warn of unsustainable demand for weight loss medication

The booming demand for weight loss jabs may be unsustainable, pharmacists warn. Many more patients are interested in using weight loss medication than are actually suitable for treatment, according to the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), which represents more than 6,000 independent community pharmacies. Some 21% of people who were interviewed in a NPA-commissioned poll agreed they had attempted to access weight loss treatments in the last year, either online or in person at a pharmacy, rising to 35% of 16 to 34-year-olds. This is compared to only 7% of those over 55. There were also 41% who agreed they would opt for weight loss treatments on the NHS if they were made available to them. This figure rose to 64% among 25 to 34-year-olds, despite many of these patients being unlikely to be clinically eligible. The NPA says the poll, in which 2,002 people were interviewed, reflects an increasing demand for private and NHS weight loss services. NPA chairman Olivier Picard said: 'Weight loss jabs are one of the biggest drug innovations this century, but growing demand for weight loss treatment highlights the need to make sure this is appropriate for those who want it. 'It's clear from this polling that many more people are interested in getting weight loss jabs than would actually be suitable for treatment. 'We want to make sure supplies are carefully managed so that those in most clinical need can benefit from weight loss medication.' Spiralling demand, fuelled partly by social media, could see people being tempted to resort to unregulated online suppliers instead of regulated pharmacies staffed by medical professionals, they fear. Online suppliers may not be offering weight loss jabs alongside a structured programme aimed at helping them change their behaviour. Wegovy and Mounjaro are among a number of drugs that are recommended to help tackle obesity on the NHS. Mounjaro and Wegovy are licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for use in patients with a BMI of over 30 or between 27 and 30 but with a weight-related co-morbidity. This occurs when an individual who has obesity develops another medical condition due to their weight. The NHS currently rolls out Mounjaro to patients with a BMI of over 40 and at least four co-morbidities, the NPA says. The NPA is calling for new regulations to protect patients buying weight loss medication online, so there is a full two-way consultation and all relevant historical medical records are reviewed before the treatment is prescribed. They are waiting for more details about the role pharmacies could play in the rollout of the NHS weight management programme. At least 85% of weight loss medication prescriptions were made by pharmacies in April this year, the NPA estimates. Mr Picard said: 'Pharmacists are experts in medication and many have extensive experience delivering weight loss injections as part of a package of care, including lifestyle advice. 'Pharmacies are well placed to help roll this treatment out on the NHS, and help people make the best use of these powerful medicines.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store