Obesity affects nearly 20% of kids and teens in this country. New guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that physicians treat obesity in children aggressively from an early age, including medications for kids as young as 12 and surgery for those as young as 13. The authors of the guidelines argue that delaying treatment and waiting to see whether children overcome obesity on their own as they get older only worsens the problem and can lead to lifelong health problems, including high blood pressure and diabetes. One of the medications pediatricians are starting to recommend is Wegovy, a weekly injection of the peptide semaglutide. This drug, made popular largely by celebrities touting its weight-loss benefits on social media, has been shown to reduce the body mass index of obese teens by 16 percent. Still, some experts caution that more focus needs to be placed on kids’ diets, including the overconsumption of sugar and ultra-processed foods.
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