Weight-Loss Surgeries , for Adolescents Increasing, Amid Rise in Obesity, Study Finds.<br />'Time' reports that the increase<br />comes amid an overall rise in the number <br />of obesity treatments in the U.S.<br />In 2021, the number of adolescents who underwent <br />metabolic or bariatric surgery between the ages <br />of 10 and 19 rose 20% from the year before.<br />A research letter published May 30 in the 'Journal of the American <br />Medical Association, Pediatrics' found that the rate of these <br />surgeries also rose among minors between 2019 and 2020.<br />According to the Centers for Disease Control <br />and Prevention, almost 20% of children <br />and adolescents in the U.S. live with obesity.<br />Bariatric surgery hasn’t necessarily <br />been accepted or embraced by the <br />pediatric community or pediatricians, Sarah Messiah, study co-author and professor at the University <br />of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, via 'Time'.<br />In January, the American Academy of Pediatrics <br />released new guidelines on obesity <br />treatments for children and teens.<br />'Time' reports that the guidelines include recommendations for prescription weight <br />loss drugs and evaluations prior to surgery.<br />In 2019, the American Academy of Pediatrics released <br />a statement calling for greater access to weight-loss surgery, <br />citing evidence the procedure helps young people.<br />The data at this point is overwhelming <br />that it’s effective. It helps these <br />adolescents lose weight. It helps them <br />get healthier. Why should we wait?, Sarah Messiah, study co-author and professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, via 'Time'
