WHO sets guidelines for GLP-1

The World Health Organization has published its first global guidelines for GLP-1, recommending the use physical activity interventions to ensure the success of “fat jabs” in treating obesity

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended using structured physical activity interventions alongside GLP-1s in obesity treatments. Publishing its first ever global guidelines for the use of GLP-1 in obesity treatments, WHO said GLP-1s – medications that mimic the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 – should be accompanied by “intensive, structured behavioural interventions”, such as exercise regimes and healthy diet advice.

The use of physical activity is one of two key recommendations in the guidelines. The other is that GLP-1s should not be used by pregnant women for the long-term treatment of obesity.

The guidelines follow the approval of GLP-1 therapies in the treatment of obesity by several regulatory authorities. It brings together the current evidence base, details the development process, and distills the implications for expanding equitable access to these medications while shaping a more comprehensive ecosystem for obesity management.

“Medicines alone will not solve the problem,” the WHO says. “Obesity is not only an individual concern but also a societal challenge that requires multisectoral action.

“Intensive behavioural interventions, including structured interventions involving healthy diet and physical activity, may be offered to adults living with obesity prescribed GLP-1 therapies. This is based on low-certainty evidence suggesting it may enhance treatment outcomes.”

According to the WHO, a holistic approach, covering three key areas, is the only way to solve the obesity crisis.

“Addressing obesity requires a fundamental re-orientation of current approaches to a comprehensive strategy built with three pillars.

“These are creating healthier environments through robust population-level policies to promote health and prevent obesity; protecting individuals at high risk of developing obesity and related comorbidities through targeted screening and structured early interventions; and ensuring access to lifelong, person-centred care.”

Defined by WHO as a chronic and relapsing disease, obesity is an increasing public health challenge with over 1 billion people affected and with cases rising in almost every country in the world.

In 2024, there were 3.7 million obesity-related deaths from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) – chronic diseases that cannot be transmitted from person to person – representing 12% of all NCD deaths worldwide.

Global costs are predicted at US$3 trillion per year by 2030 and, in a country with obesity prevalence rates of 30%, the disease could absorb up to 18% of national health expenditure.

In September 2025, WHO added GLP-1 therapies to its Essential Medicines List for managing type 2 diabetes in high-risk groups.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said: “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. Our new guidance recognizes that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care. While medication alone won’t solve this global health crisis, GLP-1 therapies can help millions overcome obesity and reduce its associated harms.”

Initially developed for the treatment of people with diabetes, GLP-1 therapies and related medications have emerged as an important innovation in addressing the global obesity challenge, offering benefits that extend beyond individual clinical outcomes.

By targeting mechanisms that reduce appetite and enhance satiety along with other physiological effects, the agents provide an important complementary treatment to traditional behavioural interventions for managing obesity. The advent of the medicines could represent a tipping point in the treatment of obesity, its complications and related comorbidities.

To read the WHO guidelines in full, visit: [https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2842199](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2842199)