Health
GLP-1 drugs may reach fewer than one in 10 people who need them, experts predict
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced its official guidance on the use of GLP-1 drugs for treating obesity.
GLP-1 drugs are medications that mimic the natural hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which are most commonly used for type 2 diabetes and medical weight loss.
The first guideline, released on Dec. 1, aims to address the “growing global health challenge of obesity,” WHO wrote in a press release.
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Obesity affects more than one billion people globally and was associated with 3.7 million deaths. The number of people with obesity is expected to double by 2030.
While GLP-1 medications were added to the WHO’s Essential Medicines List for managing type 2 diabetes in high-risk groups in September 2025, the new guideline adds two key “conditional recommendations” for people with obesity.
The World Health Organization has announced its official guidance on the use of GLP-1 drugs for treating obesity. (Reuters/Denis Balibouse/File Photo)
“GLP-1 therapies may be used by adults, but excluding pregnant women, for the long-term treatment of obesity,” the first condition states.
“While the efficacy of these therapies in treating obesity and improving metabolic and other outcomes was evident, the recommendation is conditional due to limited data on their long-term efficacy and safety, maintenance and discontinuation, their current costs, inadequate health-system preparedness and potential equity implications.”
“Our new guidance recognizes that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care.”
The second condition allows “intensive behavioral interventions,” including healthy diets, regular physical activity and support from health professionals, to be offered to adults with obesity who are prescribed a GLP-1, as part of a “comprehensive approach.”
The price of health
In addition to the health impacts, the cost of obesity is projected to hit $3 trillion annually by 2030. The WHO’s guideline attempts to reduce “skyrocketing” health costs associated with management of the condition and other complications.
The WHO guideline emphasized the importance of fair access to GLP-1 therapies.
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“Without deliberate policies, access to these therapies could exacerbate existing health disparities,” they wrote. “WHO calls for urgent action on manufacturing, affordability and system readiness to meet global needs.”
“GLP-1 therapies may be used by adults, but excluding pregnant women, for the long-term treatment of obesity,” the first condition states. (iStock)
Despite the “rapid expansion” of GLP-1 production, the health agency revealed that by 2030, these therapies are predicted to reach less than 10% of people who could benefit from them.
“The guideline calls on the global community to consider strategies to expand access, such as pooled procurement, tiered pricing and voluntary licensing among others,” WHO stated.
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Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, wrote in a statement addressing the guideline that obesity is a “major global health challenge that WHO is committed to addressing by supporting countries and people worldwide to control it, effectively and equitably.”
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“Our new guidance recognizes that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care,” he said. “While medication alone won’t solve this global health crisis, GLP-1 therapies can help millions overcome obesity and reduce its associated harms.”
The new WHO guideline offers support for those with obesity by offering behavioral interventions like diet, exercise and access to doctors. (iStock)
The agency added that obesity is a “complex, chronic disease” that is a driver of other illnesses like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.
While GLP-1 therapies alone won’t solve the obesity problem, these therapies represent the “first efficacious treatment option for adults,” WHO stated.
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The organization stressed that obesity requires creating healthier environments to promote wellness and prevent obesity, protecting high-risk individuals through screening and early interventions and ensuring lifelong access to healthcare.
Health
Filtered water at specific ages could add months to your lifespan decades later, new study finds
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Drinking filtered water may extend a person’s life by several months, according to a new study.
The research, published in the American Journal of Health Economics, reveals that being exposed to water filtration systems early in life can significantly increase longevity. By analyzing public health infrastructure shifts from the early 20th century, researchers found that city water filtration alone increased the lifespan of older American men by an average of 3.2 months.
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“While water quality has improved in many areas, this study shows the real impacts to communities without access to safe water, both in the U.S. and globally,” co-author Jason Fletcher, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, said in a press release.
“The consequences on human health are significant.”
“This study shows the real impacts to communities without access to safe water,” the study’s author said in a press release. (iStock)
The team analyzed data from the Social Security Administration’s Death Master Files. They tracked death records for American men born between 1975 and 2005, mapping each individual’s year and city of birth to historical water filtration records.
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By connecting early-life environments to late-life outcomes, the researchers isolated the lifelong impact of clean water.
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Beyond adding months to a person’s life, the study suggests that clean water in childhood sets off a positive chain reaction for socioeconomic and physical development.
The paper is part of a broader research initiative examining how environmental conditions earlier in life shape the modern American lifespan. (iStock)
Additional data from mid-20th-century censuses showed that early exposure to filtered water was linked to increased height, higher education and income levels later in life.
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The paper is part of a broader research initiative called the American Mortality Project, which examines how early-life conditions shape the modern American lifespan.
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The researchers exclusively analyzed historical data from American men, meaning the findings may not fully capture how early-life water filtration impacted the long-term longevity, physical growth, or cognitive scores of women from the same era.
Due to analysis of a limited dataset of American cities, this may not apply to other nations or rural communities. (iStock)
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The data is limited to public health infrastructure changes across U.S. cities during a specific window in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Because of this, the exact timeline and magnitude of the lifespan extension (3.2 months) may not directly translate to modern developing nations, rural communities, or areas with different environments.
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Researchers have found that changing your diet — even later in life — may slow the aging process in as little as one month.
Researchers from the University of Sydney assigned 104 participants aged 65-75 to one of four diets. Two of the diets were omnivorous and included protein from both animals and plants. Two included 70% of protein from plant sources.
One omnivorous diet was high in fat, while the other emphasized carbohydrates. The two semi-vegetarian diets were distinguished in the same way. All four diets derived 14% of energy from protein.
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“Biological age” essentially means how old the body appears based on health indicators, called biomarkers, rather than how many years a person has been alive.
University of Sydney researchers found that diet changes had an effect on people’s biological ages after four weeks. (iStock/Getty Images)
The scientists measured 20 varied biomarkers, including cholesterol and insulin levels, in participants to determine how short-term diet changes affect biological aging.
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“While chronological age increases uniformly, biological aging varies between individuals, reflecting differences in health status and the body’s resilience,” a University of Sydney report on the study’s findings said.
Biomarker profiles “are often considered a better indicator of overall health and potential longevity than chronological age,” according to the report.
Older adults who ate diets rich in complex carbohydrates and plant-based food reduced their biological age, scientists found. (iStock/Getty Images)
The scientists found that, after four weeks, participants’ biological ages in three of the four diet groups dropped. Only the high-fat omnivorous dieters’ biological ages “showed no meaningful change.”
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The study, “Short-Term Dietary Intervention Alters Physiological Profiles Relevant to Ageing,” published in Aging Cell, concluded that the most pronounced improvements came from “diets rich in complex carbohydrates and plant-based components.”
Participants who consumed an omnivorous diet high in fat did not see changes in their biological ages, though all other types of diets reduced theirs in a University of Sydney study. (iStock/Getty Images)
The research team cautioned that these results are preliminary and may represent only short-term effects.
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“It’s too soon to say definitively that specific changes to diet will extend your life,” said Caitlin Andrews, who led the study. “But this research offers an early indication of the potential benefits of dietary changes later in life.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
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