Almost 1 in 10 teens have tried an unapproved weight loss product

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-01-11 03:00

Australia; International; VIC

Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash

9% of teens have tried an unapproved weight loss product in their lifetime, according to a meta-analysis by Australian researchers. The team combined the results of 90 studies on the use of non-prescription weight loss products in teens - 50 of which were from North America and three from Australia/NZ. The researchers say the prevalence of weight-loss product use across the studies was 5.5%. As many available non-prescription weight loss products are ineffective and potentially harmful for long-term health, they say more needs to be done to reduce the use of these products by young people.

Media release

From: JAMA

About The Study: This meta-analysis that included 90 studies with 604,000 participants found that use of weight-loss products occurs at high levels in adolescents, especially girls. These findings suggest that, given the ineffectiveness of these products for weight loss coupled with their harmful long-term health consequences, interventions are required to reduce use of weight-loss products in this group.

Authors: Natasha Yvonne Hall, Pharm.B., M.H.E., of Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, is the corresponding author.

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Research JAMA, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Monash University, Deakin University

Funder: For details on obtaining the paper, contact the SMC. Australian newspapers have permission from the journal to run this story in print on the day the embargo lifts, with the strict proviso that nothing can appear online until after the embargo lifts.

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