Mixed review of the new pediatric obesity guidelines

The 2023 American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines are crucial for:

-highlighting the imperative to address childhood obesity, and legitimizing it as a chronic disease with comorbidities

-emphasizing disparities, social determinants of health, and dangers of stigmatization

– recommending comprehensive lifestyle therapy as first-line treatment

-citing common obesogenic medications

But the guidelines fail to:

-prioritize prevention (these guidelines are forthcoming, but the sequence reflects an attitude that got us here in the first place)

-give more than a nod to the policy changes needed to address our obesogenic environment

-recommend any specific dietary programs beyond the 5 servings of fruits and vegetables and 0 sugar-sweetened beverages per day (eg, no mention that >90% of American kids are deficient in fiber, or that processed meat is a Group 1 Carcinogen)

-adequately represent the risks associated with weight loss meds, and especially bariatric surgery, for children

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/doi/10.1542/peds.2022-060640/190443/Clinical-Practice-Guideline-for-the-Evaluation-and?autologincheck=redirected

https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/cancer-carcinogenicity-of-the-consumption-of-red-meat-and-processed-meat