WHO Recommends Weight Loss Injections for Children as Young as 10

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued new guidance suggesting that children and teenagers as young as 10 could be eligible for weight loss medications like Mounjaro and Wegovy, as well as bariatric surgery, if lifestyle interventions prove insufficient. The recommendations, detailed in the WHO's first-ever guidelines on childhood and adolescent obesity, target adolescents aged 10 to 19 who are severely obese.

According to the guidance, treatment with approved medicines may be considered for this age group only after a supervised lifestyle program has not yielded desired results. Bariatric surgery could also be an option under strict conditions for adolescents with severe obesity. However, the WHO clarified that children aged nine and under should not be given these treatments.

The announcement comes amid rising rates of childhood obesity globally and in the UK. Worldwide, over 170 million children aged five to 19 are classified as obese, a figure that has quadrupled since 1990. In England, approximately 20% of children between the ages of five and 11 are obese, and hundreds of four-year-olds have received treatment in NHS obesity clinics.

While the WHO's primary focus is on comprehensive support for healthy eating, physical activity, and sustainable behavior change, the new guidelines acknowledge the potential role of medical and surgical interventions for specific cases. Dr. Luz María De Regil, Director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at the WHO, emphasized that the foundation of childhood obesity care should be access to quality support systems and environments that promote lifelong health.

In the UK, some weight loss jabs are already prescribed to children as young as 12, with some receiving them at age 11. Mounjaro can be prescribed to children over ten in the UK if they have type 2 diabetes.