{
  "id": 12573425,
  "title": "WHO says no obesity drugs, surgery for under-10s",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/who-says-no-obesity-drugs-surgery-for-under-10s",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-07T07:23:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/10/07/who-says-no-obesity-drugs-surgery-for-under-10s"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued new guidelines stating that medicine and surgery are not suitable treatments for overweight children, announcing its first recommendations for addressing the rapid increase in childhood and adolescent obesity. The WHO advised structured diets, physical activity, and behavioral changes as the primary methods for managing obesity in young people.\n\nThe organization explicitly ruled out the use of pharmacological treatments and bariatric surgery (stomach or digestive tract surgery) for children under the age of nine. For teenagers aged ten to nineteen, medication may be considered only after a supervised, comprehensive lifestyle program has failed to produce desired results. Bariatric surgery might be an option for adolescents with severe obesity, under very specific circumstances.\n\nIn contrast to the WHO's guidelines for adult obesity, which were released in December 2025, these new recommendations for under-19s diverge significantly from the agency's previous advice. The WHO now explicitly states that GLP-1 agonist drugs, a new class of appetite-suppressing pharmaceuticals, could be employed in the fight against adult obesity.\n\nAccording to the WHO, obesity among children and adolescents has skyrocketed in recent years. In 2024, approximately 70 million children aged five to nine and 100 million adolescents aged ten to nineteen were classified as obese worldwide. The prevalence of obesity has jumped globally, rising from 2% in 1990 to 8% in 2024, affecting 170 million individuals in total.\n\nThe surge in obesity is evident across all regions, with low- and middle-income countries experiencing the fastest growth. While some high-income nations have managed to stabilize the rise in obesity rates, they have not yet seen significant declines. The foundation of effective obesity care for children and adolescents, according to Luz Maria De Regil, director of the WHO's nutrition and food safety department, is not medication or surgery. Instead, it involves providing comprehensive support that enables healthy eating, physical activity, and long-lasting behavioral changes.\n\nThe WHO's recommendations also underscore the importance of addressing mental health issues related to obesity. Anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem can all contribute to unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity, and social withdrawal. Moreover, children and adolescents struggling with obesity may face stigma and bullying, further exacerbating their psychological distress. Maria Nieves Garcia Casal, a scientist within the WHO's nutrition and food safety department, mentioned that bariatric surgery could be contemplated for severe obesity cases in adolescence, particularly when accompanied by complications like type 2 diabetes or hypertension, provided that diet and lifestyle modifications have been unsuccessful.",
  "summary": "The UN health agency said that for 10-19-year-olds, approved medicines should be considered only after a supervised multimodal lifestyle programme has failed.",
  "key_points": [
    "WHO advises diet, exercise, behavioral changes for childhood obesity",
    "Medication and surgery ruled out for children under 9",
    "Obesity rates among youth tripled from 2% in 1990 to 8% in 2024"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Star BD Health",
        "title": "WHO says no obesity drugs, surgery for under-10s",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/who-says-no-obesity-drugs-surgery-for-under-10s-12574371",
        "published": "2026-10-07T07:17:46.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "WHO says no obesity drugs, surgery for under-10s",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/who-says-no-obesity-drugs-surgery-for-under-10s-12575478",
        "published": "2026-10-07T07:23:33.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "WHO says no obesity drugs, surgery for under-10s",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/who-says-no-obesity-drugs-surgery-for-under-10s-12592726",
        "published": "2026-10-07T09:30:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Medical Xpress",
        "title": "WHO says no obesity drugs, surgery for under-10s",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/who-says-no-obesity-drugs-surgery-for-under-10s-12607617",
        "published": "2026-10-07T10:38:41.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}