New Study Finds One In 10 Teens Have Taken Diet Pills
A recent global study, published in the JAMA Network Open, has shed light on a concerning use of diet pills, weight loss supplements, and laxatives by communities of youth all over the world.
The study spanned across continents, including Europe, North America and Asia and had 90 individual research pieces and involved 604,552 children aged 18 or under, revealed that nearly one in 10 girls have resorted to these methods in the past year.
The study found that diet pills are the most frequently used weight-loss product by teenagers, followed by laxatives and diuretics. Interestingly, the overall use of non-prescription weight-loss products in this demographic was 5.3%. However, this statistic jumps to 8.9% when considering the lifetime use of these products.
Paula Cody, the medical director of adolescent medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, has expressed her deepening concern regarding this issue.
The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have amplified the situation. A 2022 study revealed an increase in hospital admissions for eating disorders among children in the US during the first year of the pandemic, compared to previous years.
“The incidence of eating disorders has increased pretty dramatically after the pandemic. We’ve seen the numbers skyrocket,” she commented.
Cody had previously raised alarms over the dangers of diet pills and supplements more than six years ago, noting a worrying interest among patients in using these products for weight loss or muscle gain.
The study also highlights the lack of regulation in the sale of these products. Raatz, a paediatrician with the University of Minnesota’s Center for Pediatric Obesity Medicine noted that in her clinic, she conducts regular mental health screenings and discourages the use of unregulated supplements, like apple cider vinegar gummies, which are often advertised for weight loss.
“I explain that it’s not regulated, (the benefits are) not evidence-based, it’s just not the way we would recommend going about treatment,” Raatz stated.
The researchers of the study have called this trend “alarming” and emphasise the urgent need for interventions to prevent and regulate the use of weight-loss products.
Do you think that there’s a problem with diet culture within the youth?
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