Obesity is now one of the biggest health problems in the world.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 1 billion people around the globe are affected by obesity, and it was linked to 3.7 million deaths in 2024 alone.
To help address this crisis, the WHO has released its first-ever guideline on using a new type of medicine—GLP-1 drugs—to treat obesity.
This new advice shows a big change in how obesity is seen and treated. In the past, many people believed that obesity was only caused by poor personal choices, such as overeating or not exercising.
Now, the WHO recognizes obesity as a long-term disease that often comes back and requires ongoing medical care. This means that, like other chronic conditions, people may need help from doctors, medicine, and lifestyle support for many years.
The WHO director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the organization is working hard to support countries and people in dealing with obesity.
He explained that these new guidelines treat obesity as a serious health issue that deserves full attention and care. While taking medicine won’t fix everything, GLP-1 drugs can help many people lose weight and reduce the health problems linked to obesity.
GLP-1 drugs were originally used to help people with type 2 diabetes. These medicines help control blood sugar and appetite. Because they also help with weight loss, doctors have started using them to treat obesity as well. The WHO even added GLP-1 drugs to its list of essential medicines in 2025, but only for people at high risk of diabetes.
Now, the WHO has made two conditional recommendations based on the current evidence. First, they say that GLP-1 medicines may be helpful for long-term treatment in adults with obesity, except for pregnant women.
These drugs seem to help with both weight loss and improving metabolism, but we still need more information about their long-term safety, cost, and availability. Second, people who take these medicines may benefit more if they also follow a guided program that includes healthy eating and regular physical activity.
The WHO wants people to know that medicine is only one part of the solution. Their new plan for fighting obesity focuses on three key areas: making healthier environments, screening people who are at high risk, and providing long-term care based on each person’s unique needs.
Obesity increases the chances of getting heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. It can also make it harder to recover from infections. The financial impact is huge too. By 2030, the world could spend around $3 trillion each year on health problems caused by obesity.
GLP-1 drugs are expensive, and without careful planning, they may only be available to people in wealthier communities. WHO is concerned this could make health differences between rich and poor people even worse. They estimate that even with better supply, these drugs might reach less than 10% of the people who need them by 2030.
To fix this, WHO recommends steps like fair pricing, shared purchasing between countries, and licensing deals that allow cheaper versions to be made. The guidelines were created after carefully looking at current research and listening to people who live with obesity.
The WHO plans to update the advice as new information becomes available. Starting next year, they will also work with other organizations to make sure the people who need treatment the most can get it first.
This new guideline is a big step forward in treating obesity as a serious medical condition. It combines science, compassion, and long-term thinking to create a better future for people living with obesity.
Still, more studies are needed to understand the full benefits and risks of GLP-1 drugs, especially over many years. For now, the WHO is pushing for both better access to treatment and better support for people’s overall health.
If you care about weight loss, please read studies about orange that could help obesity, and a berry that can prevent cancer, diabetes and obesity.
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