Experts warn against giving children Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro – claiming it could lead to ‘wave of abuse and health problems’ because the long-term effects are unknown

Experts are sounding the alarm about prescribing weight-loss drugs to children, warning that it could lead to abuse, malnutrition and a wave of body dysmorphia.

Researchers from the University of California Irvine published an article This month warning drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have not been studied in the long term and prescribing them to minors may put their future health at risk as they are still developing physically and mentally.

These drugs bind to the GLP-1 receptor, which activates hormones in the brain to slow down digestion and keep the stomach full, reducing cravings and the risk of overeating.

The drugs were originally approved for diabetes, but doctors began using them off-label to help with weight loss. Wegovy was approved in 2021 to treat weight loss in people over 12 years old.

Earlier this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics published guidelines for the treatment of childhood obesity, including a recommendation to use weight-loss medications, demonstrating that the drugs are safe and effective treatment options for children ages 12 and older.

The AAP says adding these drugs to a weight-loss regimen, such as changing diet and increasing physical activity, could help fight childhood obesity, which can lead to serious health problems.

The organization states that obesity is one of the most common chronic diseases faced by children aged 2 to 19 years, affecting one in five children.

Despite this recommendation, the California researchers are particularly concerned about how the reduction in calories from taking the drugs could affect children’s growth and development.

Researchers outlined several unintended harmful consequences that could occur in children taking weight-loss drugs

The balance between food and physical activity in childhood influences growth and health throughout a person’s life.

With proper levels of caloric intake and physical activity, bone mineralization is increased, decreasing the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures later in life.

Any deviation from healthy eating and exercise levels could negatively impact children and adolescents as they grow, the researchers say, potentially leading to increased inflammation linked to heart disease.

“Our main concern is the unbalanced and inappropriate reduction in caloric or energy intake associated with these weight loss drugs,” said Dr. Dan Cooper, one of the paper’s authors and a professor in the UCI’s Department of Pediatrics School of Medicine.

“Unlike adults, children and adolescents need energy and sufficient calories not only for physical activity, but also for growth and development.”

Self-esteem and self-image are especially fragile during adolescence, where exposure to unrealistic body types and social media food culture plays a major role in shaping a child’s own body image.

The research team is concerned that prescribing weight-loss drugs to children and teenagers could lead to abuse, as these ages are a “particularly vulnerable period for the development of self-esteem and satisfaction with one’s appearance.”

Abuse among patients with a diagnosed eating disorder or those involved in competitive sports that put pressure on body weight, such as wrestling, gymnastics and ballet, is also a real risk.

The potential for abuse was exacerbated by the closures during the Covid-19 pandemic. Researchers say staying at home exacerbated childhood obesity and limited physical activity.

“The relationship between benefit and cost (economic and quality of life) of long-term use in young people needs to be studied carefully,” said Jan D. Hirsch, co-author and dean of the UCI School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

“With the proliferation of social media, young people are already being exposed to a food culture and body imagery that may not be viable and ultimately unhealthy.

“These drugs administered without proper supervision can create a minefield of health and emotional problems in children as they grow older,”

Although the researchers did not discuss this in their article, there have been numerous and well-documented cases where these weight-loss drugs caused suicidal thoughts, depression, severe vomiting, and stomach paralysis in adults who took them.

Clinical trials are conducted to investigate the safety and efficacy of new drugs. However, enrolling younger patients in trials of the weight-loss drugs is challenging.

Challenges in enrolling in clinical trials include access to a study site, exclusive co-morbidities or pre-existing conditions, and recruitment.

Without longitudinal research on the effects of drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy over the course of a child’s life, there is no way to document their potentially harmful side effects.

The researchers do not deny that the drugs can help children with morbid obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, that does not lessen their concerns about the “inevitable” overuse and abuse.