Health
Kids with obesity need ‘behavioral counseling,’ task force recommends: 'Call to action'
Young people with obesity should receive intensive behavioral counseling, according to a major health agency.
The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) conducted a systematic review of various types of weight management interventions — including behavioral counseling and prescription medications — for kids and teens aged 6 and older.
The official recommendation was published in JAMA on Tuesday.
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The task force stated that people in this age group with a high BMI (95% or greater) should receive at least 26 hours of “comprehensive, intensive behavioral interventions.”
“The USPSTF concludes with moderate certainty that providing or referring children and adolescents 6 years or older with a high BMI to comprehensive, intensive behavioral interventions has a moderate net benefit,” the recommendation stated.
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“Therefore, clinicians should provide those with a high BMI with such interventions or refer them to appropriate health care professionals.”
Approximately 19.7% of U.S. children and adolescents between 2 and 19 years of age have a body mass index (BMI) at or above 95%, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
BMIs tend to rise with age and in certain ethnic groups, including Hispanic/Latino, Native American/Alaska Native and non-Hispanic Black children and adolescents.
Youth from lower-income families are also more likely to have obesity, per the CDC.
While BMI is an “imperfect measure” of obesity, the task force noted that most children with a BMI above 95% will have obesity, while few children with a BMI below 85% will fall in the obese category.
‘A gateway disease’
Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurologist and longevity expert, is not affiliated with the USPSTF, but offered his reaction to the new guidance.
“This recommendation is not just a guideline; it’s a call to action,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Early recognition and intervention are critical to curbing a potential lifetime of health problems.”
Obesity can be seen as a “gateway disease,” according to Osborn, linked to many other non-infectious, age-related diseases, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and even certain cancers.
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Osborn agreed that the recommended behavioral interventions are “vital” in helping young individuals adopt healthier lifestyles.
“These interventions focus on supervised physical activity (supplanting mobile phone usage with structured exercise), healthy eating education and behavior change techniques,” he said.
In addition to behavioral changes, Osborn recommends incorporating medications like GLP-I agonists — such as Ozempic — as a “necessary boost” to kick-start weight loss.
“These medications can be particularly beneficial when behavioral interventions alone do not suffice, helping adolescents gain the momentum needed to adopt and maintain healthier lifestyles,” Osborn said.
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“Just as we once revolutionized public health by combating infections, we must now focus on preventing and managing obesity to stave off a cascade of future diseases.”
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Health
New schizophrenia drug gets FDA approval, taking novel approach to treating brain disorder
A new drug has been approved for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults.
On Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved COBENFY (xanomeline and trospium chloride), an oral medication that is manufactured by Bristol Myers Squibb in New Jersey.
This marks the first new class of medications for the brain disorder in several decades, according to a press release.
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COBENFY is expected to be available in the U.S. in late October, the company noted.
“Today’s landmark approval of our first-in-class treatment for schizophrenia marks an important milestone for the community, where after more than 30 years, there is now an entirely new pharmacological approach for schizophrenia — one that has the potential to change the treatment paradigm,” said Chris Boerner, PhD, board chair and chief executive officer at Bristol Myers Squibb, in the press release.
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Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that affects a person’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
It often causes hallucinations, delusions, disordered speech and loss of touch with reality, Mayo Clinic states on its website.
The disorder can also lead to lack of emotional expression, lack of motivation, cognitive dysfunction and social withdrawal.
Approximately 2.8 million people in the U.S. and 24 million people globally are living with schizophrenia.
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The disorder has traditionally been treated with antipsychotic medications, but around 40% of patients do not respond to treatments and 60% experience “inadequate improvement” in symptoms or “intolerable side effects,” studies have shown.
COBENFY works differently than the currently available schizophrenia medications.
“Due to its heterogeneous nature, schizophrenia is not a one-size-fits-all condition, and people often find themselves in a cycle of discontinuing and switching therapies,” said Rishi Kakar, MD, chief scientific officer and medical director at Segal Trials and investigator in the drug’s clinical trials, in the release.
“Schizophrenia is not a one-size-fits-all condition, and people often find themselves in a cycle of discontinuing and switching therapies.”
“The approval of COBENFY is a transformative moment in the treatment of schizophrenia because, historically, medicines approved to treat schizophrenia have relied on the same primary pathways in the brain.”
“By leveraging a novel pathway, COBENFY offers a new option to manage this challenging condition.”
Sam Clark, founder and CEO at Terran Biosciences — a biotech company that develops treatments and technologies for neurological and psychiatric diseases in New York City — commented on the new approval in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.
“I am excited that the FDA has just approved [COBENFY] as a treatment for patients with schizophrenia, marking a big leap forward in the psychiatry space,” he said.
“These patients live with a difficult disease, and this drug with a novel mechanism of action will surely make a significant impact,” Clark continued.
“We look forward to seeing the renaissance continue as this approval paves the way for future breakthroughs and novel patient-focused therapeutics.”
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The approval follows three phases of clinical trials in which COBENFY was shown to result in a “statistically significant improvement in illness.”
In terms of safety, the medication’s most common side effects during clinical trials were nausea, indigestion, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, hypertension, abdominal pain, accelerated heart rate, dizziness and gastroesophageal reflux disease, the release stated.
Patients with certain existing medical conditions may experience other, more serious risks.
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People should discuss potential complications with a doctor before starting the medication.
Fox News Digital reached out to Bristol Myers Squibb and the Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance requesting comment.
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