September is National Childhood Obesity Month, and we don’t need to tell you that obesity is a growing health crisis in the United States, affecting people of all ages. For children, the situation is particularly alarming: nearly 20% of all children in the U.S. have obesity, a number that has tripled since the 1970s.
This troubling rise has serious implications, not only for their immediate health but also for their future well-being. Children with obesity often become adults with obesity, facing a higher risk of developing long-term health problems like diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer. Despite these risks, weight loss for children — especially younger ones — has proven to be a significant challenge.
Doctors have long recognized how difficult it is for individuals with obesity to lose weight, regardless of age. While medications like GLP-1 receptor agonists, including the well-known drug liraglutide, offer promising results for adults and teens, younger children have been left with fewer options.
Until recently, children under the age of 12 could only rely on lifestyle changes like diet, exercise, and counseling to manage their weight. However, groundbreaking research on liraglutide is showing that this may be about to change.
Study details
A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine explains how GLP-1 drugs could play a critical role in treating obesity in younger children. Dr. Claudia Fox, a pediatrician from the University of Minnesota, presented the findings at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes conference. The study focused on children between the ages of 6 and 12 who had high BMIs. Over the course of a year, 82 children participated, with 56 receiving daily injections of liraglutide while the rest received a placebo. Both groups were also provided with counseling to promote healthy diet and exercise habits.
Study findings
The results were impressive. Children who received liraglutide saw their BMI drop by 5.8%, compared to a 1.6% increase in the placebo group. This difference — 7.4 percentage points — was even more significant than the results seen in studies with teenagers. According to Dr. Fox, these outcomes suggest that early intervention with medications like liraglutide may yield better results, possibly even preventing the progression of obesity as children grow older.
Safety and Side Effects
One of the key concerns about using weight-loss medications in younger children is safety. Fortunately, liraglutide proved to be safe for the participants in the study. While some children experienced side effects like nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, these issues were generally mild and tended to subside as the trial progressed. Very few participants dropped out due to adverse reactions.
However, one major question remains unanswered: How long would children need to stay on these medications to maintain the benefits? Once the trial ended and children stopped taking liraglutide, their BMI started to increase again, though not as sharply as seen in older children. This suggests that while the drug may be effective, it might require ongoing use to sustain weight loss, similar to how other chronic conditions like diabetes or hypertension require long-term management.
Dr. Sarah Armstrong, a professor of pediatrics at Duke University and a co-author of the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, said that medication will probably be necessary for children with severe obesity; that is, a BMI of at least 35. She said:
It is pretty clear that without effective treatment, this does tend to get worse, not better, over time… If a child has severe obesity and maybe has developed some early life comorbidities, it’s probably the right thing to do.
Dr. Armstrong does have some concerns about the use of medications in young kids because of the long-term nature of treatment:
What happens to kids if you put them on medication that makes them less hungry while they’re still growing? Are they going to have delayed puberty? Are they going to have delayed growth? Will it somehow affect their bone density? Will it create disordered eating patterns that are going to cause other problems later in life?
A New Era of Treatment for Childhood Obesity?
The potential for GLP-1 drugs like liraglutide to revolutionize treatment for childhood obesity cannot be overstated. While lifestyle changes are crucial, they often aren’t enough on their own. Dr. Fox and other experts emphasize that obesity is a biological disease, not simply a matter of poor lifestyle choices. As such, more aggressive interventions — including medications and, in some cases, surgical procedures — may be necessary to provide meaningful results.
The implications of these findings could be enormous. Children with obesity face not only physical health challenges but also significant social stigma and emotional stress. Successfully treating obesity in childhood could lead to long-lasting health benefits, reducing the risk of complications like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even early puberty. This could also help ease the burden on healthcare systems in the long term.
However, more research is needed, and questions about long-term use, the cost, insurance coverage, potential effects on growth and puberty, and the best time to start treatment are still open.
Your responses and feedback are welcome!
Source: “Weight loss drug liraglutide shows promise for younger children with obesity, study finds,” CNN.com, 9/10/24
Source: “A Novo Nordisk weight loss drug lowers BMI in kids as young as 6,” NBC News, 9/10/24
Image by Lidya Nada on Unsplash
