Recent research has shown that children and adolescents using GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic may develop nutritional deficiencies, raising concerns about the safety of these treatments in young people.
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Researchers from Northwestern University and other universities examined the medical records of children and adolescents who began taking GLP-1 medications and found that approximately one in six were recently diagnosed with a nutritional deficiency
The research paper, published in the journal Childhood Obesity, described nutrient deficiencies as a "significant and insufficiently recognized risk" in children receiving this treatment.
Childhood obesity is a serious problem. The World Health Organization and the World Obesity Federation estimate that in 2026, more than 390 million children and adolescents (aged 5 to 19) were overweight, including approximately 160 million who were severely obese. This crisis is not limited to adolescents; it has extended to younger age groups as well, with more than 35 million children under the age of five classified as overweight.
GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovi) and terzipatide (Mangaro and Zipound) have emerged as effective options for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes, but there is still much we do not know about their use in children.
The researchers analyzed data from a large real-world patient database. Between 2017 and 2022, they identified nearly 2,000 children aged 10 to 17 who began taking GLP-1 supplements and had no previously documented deficiency. Within a year of starting the supplement, approximately 17% of them were diagnosed with a nutritional deficiency or related complication. Vitamin D deficiency was the most common (12%), followed by nutritional anemia (1.55%) and iron-deficiency anemia (1.44%).
It should be noted that this is an observational study and cannot establish a definitive causal relationship between the drug and nutritional deficiencies. Furthermore, it covers a period before the widespread use of these drugs among children. However, other research has shown that intentional weight loss can increase the risk of nutritional deficiencies, and that there is a similar link between GLP-1 and nutritional problems.
The researchers also point to potential gaps in pediatric care, noting that only 5% of children received nutritional counseling within the first 30 days of being prescribed the medication, and only a quarter within six months. Justin Rieder, co-author and professor at Northwestern University, said, "We hope our findings will provide much-needed recognition of the importance of proactive nutritional management when prescribing GLP-1 to children, rather than waiting until a nutritional deficiency is diagnosed. Knowing the risks puts us in a better position to prevent harm during a pivotal period in their lives."
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