Obesity is a true pandemic for children.
According to the CDC, one in five adolescents in the United States is affected by obesity and rates are continually rising. In January, The American Academy of Pediatrics released its first comprehensive guidelines on treating obesity in children in response to these growing numbers.
As a result of these growing obesity numbers, weight loss injections have been developed to rapidly reduce the rate of obesity. The problem with these weight loss injections is that they are being seen as a quick fix, a shortcut to weight loss, when in fact, successful long-term weight loss requires not only a physiological change but a psychological one.
It is worrying that 12-year-olds can now legally be given weight loss injections to conquer obesity, and even more concerning that parents are flocking in numbers to have their children put on these injections yet not changing their diets or encouraging increased activity.
Weight Loss Injections Available for Children in the United States
Wegovy is the first once-weekly weight loss injection approved for adolescents.
It is an injectable diabetes drug under the generic name Semaglutide and is approved for children 12 and up with obesity. Due to popular demand, Wegovy is now listed by the FDA as being in a supply shortage.
How Semaglutide Works
Semaglutide works by mimicking the effects of GLP-1, a hormone that slows the movement of food through the intestines – making a person feel full for longer.
Wegovy and other semaglutides like Ozempic work by activating GLP-1 receptors in the pancreas, which increases insulin secretion and decreases glucagon secretion. This leads to a decrease in blood sugar levels, which is beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes who have high blood sugar levels.
Weight Loss Injection Side Effects in Children
Among other side effects, medical experts are warning that Wegovy and similar fat-loss injections may cause a potentially deadly side effect overlooked in trials.
In experiments performed on mice, the enlargement of the intestine occurred at around 20 months of taking Semaglutide. The research team points out that clinical trials for Wegovy only went up to 16 months, missing this significant long-term side-effect.
Because these drugs could cause continuous increases in the intestinal length and villus height, the small intestine may become less elastic, which can lead to long-term upper intestinal obstruction.
Intestinal obstructions occur when a blockage keeps food and liquid from moving through the intestines. This can be caused by damage to the digestive system, cancer, or an inflamed or stretched intestine. Loss of appetite and constipation can be signs that someone is suffering a blockage.
The blockage may occur when the intestine stretches too large, as it loses the ability to adjust its shape – making it difficult for food to pass through.
This condition may cut off the blood supply to part of your intestine, with the lack of blood causing the intestinal wall to die.
Sufferers with intestinal obstructions are also at a higher risk of peritonitis, a potentially deadly infection within the abdomen.

Researchers reported enlarged intestines and intestinal blocking after Wegovy experiments. Image ©️ Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B
Reported side effects of weight loss injections include:
Weight gain after stopping the medication. Trials show that patients who come off the drug pile the pounds back on in months.
Muscle Loss. Doctors are reporting that patients lose more muscle than fat while taking the drug.
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- Diabetic retinopathy
- Gallstones
- Abdominal pain
- Kidney problems including kidney failure
- Swelling of the pancreas
- Increased risk of thyroid cancer
- Gallbladder disease
- Increased heart rate and blood pressure
- Allergic reaction
- Hypoglycemia
- Nausea
- Reflux
- Headache
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Blurred vision
- Confusion
- Slurred speech
- Numbness
Insulin Resistance and Fatty Liver: The Real Cause of Obesity

The root of the problem isn’t obesity; it is a metabolic disease involving insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver.
“Treating obesity is like giving Aspirin to someone with a brain tumor for a headache. Aspirin will help the headache but won’t help the tumor.”
Robert Lustig
The brain tumor is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; obesity is the headache.
Diseases Contributing to Obesity in Children
There are two diseases that before now had not presented in children: Type 2 Diabetes and Fatty Liver Disease.
These two diseases started to infiltrate our children with the introduction of processed foods containing excess fructose and inflammatory seed oils.
Processed Foods and Childhood Obesity
Processed foods incorporate poisons that “stuff the liver” or remove the fiber that “starves the gut”, or both according to Robert Lustig.
Minimally processed whole foods, like white rice, affect the liver, while fruit juice affects the gut; ultra-processed food (like Pringles and fast foods) do both and exponentially increase disease.
As a result of eating the above food types, the liver backs up, detox pathways are clogged, and sugar turns into fat.
Furthermore, our guts need fiber to “munch on”, and are starved of the food stripped of fiber. Bacteria start eating the mucin barrier of our intestinal cells, leading to inflammation and leaky gut.
Ultra-processed food is also connected to higher rates of addiction, depression, insomnia, and autoimmune disease.
There are children that are thin on the outside and fat on the inside – science calls them TOFI. These children have fatty liver but not obesity.
Prior to 1980, fatty liver disease was only due to alcohol and only found in adults; now, fatty liver is present in 25 percent of children.
Fatty Liver in Children
FACTS:
- 25% of children have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; 45% of adults have fatty liver disease.
- 67% of the food our kids eat is processed food.
- There are obese children without metabolic disease.
- There are thin children with metabolic diseases.
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with diabetes even in people within a healthy weight range. If you have fatty liver, you are 3.5 times more likely to develop diabetes. When the pancreas releases insulin, it goes to the liver. The liver is the primary target of insulin.
- Triglycerides are a better indicator of metabolic disease. If the triglycerides are high, the liver is sick; if the liver is sick, the pancreas is sick; if the pancreas is sick metabolic disease occurs.
- Processed foods increase BMI
It isn’t just about sugar and carbs, but the type of sugar and carbs. The high fructose consumption in the modern day diet is processed differently in the liver, causing liver fat.
Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic Syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
Metabolic Syndrome includes diabetes, hypertension, lipid abnormalities, cardiovascular disease, polycystic ovarian disease, cancer and dementia. None of these diseases have any cures, just treatments.
Conditions that lead to diseases related to metabolic syndrome are:
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- Glycation
- Oxidative stress
- Mitochondrial dysfunction
- Insulin Resistance
- Membrane Instability
- Inflammation
- Methylation
- Autophagy
Weight Loss is a Health Issue
Weight loss isn’t just about vanity; it can be a more critical health issue that relates to metabolic diseases like Type II Diabetes, heart disease, thyroid conditions, Osteoporosis, arthritis, brain fog, cognitive decline, cancers, and more.
Causes of Obesity in Children
Obesity is a symptom of metabolic disease. Metabolic disease isn’t corrected by drugs, but by food and lifestyle.
Causes include:
Processed Foods and Fructose
Processed foods take out the fiber which slows down the rise of glucose. And they add the hidden high fructose corn syrup and fake sugars that solicit an insulin response, causing the body to crave more sugar. Not just the cakes and cookies, but in the meats, dairy, protein snacks. The food companies inject these foods with high fructose corn syrup, GMO’s and hidden sweeteners, knowing that it makes food more palatable and addictive, leaning to increased consumption, then leading to insulin resistance, then leading to sick livers, then leading to obesity.
The processed foods not only increase appetite with the hidden sugars tricking the brain that it wants more, but they deaden the ability of the gut to release the hormone CCK that tells the brain to shut off appetite.
Unhealthy Liver
The liver gets compromised by toxins, processed foods, and excess estrogens. The liver is where insulin does its job; when the liver is fatty, it doesn’t do its job efficiently. Also, the liver is where fat and proteins get broken down into usable energy. It is also where the thyroid hormones turn from inactive hormones into active hormones for a healthy metabolism.
Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance occurs when the body’s cells become less responsive to the hormone insulin, which is responsible for regulating blood sugar levels. When this happens, the pancreas produces more insulin to compensate for the decreased sensitivity of the cells. Over time, this can lead to elevated insulin levels in the bloodstream, and insulin’s job is to store and make fat. Therefore, when insulin resistance is present, the liver suffers and obesity becomes more likely.
There are three ways in which insulin resistance can contribute to obesity:
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- Increased appetite: Elevated insulin levels can stimulate the appetite and lead to increased food intake, particularly of high-carbohydrate, high-fat foods. This can result in a positive energy balance, where more calories are consumed than burned, leading to weight gain.
- Reduced fat burning: Insulin resistance can impair the body’s ability to burn fat for energy, particularly in the abdominal region. This can lead to an accumulation of excess body fat, particularly in the visceral fat stores around the internal organs, which is associated with an increased risk of metabolic disorders like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
- Impaired energy metabolism: Insulin resistance can also impair the body’s ability to use glucose for energy, leading to reduced energy levels and physical activity. This can contribute to a sedentary lifestyle and decreased calorie expenditure, further exacerbating the positive energy balance.
Leptin
Leptin is a hormone produced by fat cells that signal the hypothalamus in the brain to suppress or activate the appetite and metabolism. The more food consumed and the more body fat accumulated, the more leptin is produced, signaling to the brain to suppress the appetite, increase the metabolism and burn more body fat.
However, when there is too much leptin, the signaling fails to work and the brain becomes “resistant” to leptin messages. In other words, it is like with insulin resistance where the cells become “leptin resistant” and the fat cells continue to produce an abnormally high amount and the receptors essentially downgrade their response. As a result, with more weight gained, more fat stores are accumulated, and the body thinks it is starving; hunger is insatiable.
Even though there is plenty of “energy” in the fat stores to burn, hunger is high and it is difficult to fight the unsatisfied appetite.
Read more about Leptin in my article Leptin Resistance Hack For Weight Loss
Radiation
Ionizing and nonionizing radiation from smart meters, 5G, smart devices, flying, x-rays, and more have increased exponentially compared to just 10 years ago. And this is ever more present for our children who are addicted to their smartphones. Radiation is known to cause insulin resistance, cancer, leaky gut, weight gain, hypothyroidism, depression, anxiety, and even increased blood sugar. All of those factors can lead to metabolic disease and obesity in children.
Toxins
The toxins found in our food supply, environment, and water all put a heavy burden on the liver and kidneys to filter them out. As the filter systems or detox pathways become clogged, the liver is unable to break down fat molecules into usable energy and this can lead to fatty liver in children and unwanted fat accumulation in the body. Most of these toxins are estrogenic, and may lead to obesity.
Hypothyroidism
As the toxins may be clogging the thyroid, the liver, and the detox pathways, the thyroid hormones aren’t able to convert from the inactive T4 into the active T3, leading to a slowed metabolism, fat accumulation, water retention, and constipation. Hypothyroidism is also connected to iodine deficiency, as iodine is known to help with boosting metabolism, fat oxidation, and fat burning.
Weight Loss Injection Alternatives to Combat Childhood Obesity
The goal to improve children’s health and lower obesity starts with protecting the liver, feeding the gut, and resetting insulin sensitivity. Considering children have a low tolerance for supplements and dietary changes, the following tools are outlined in order of priority.
Explain the WHY – The Psychology of Tackling Childhood Obesity
When discussing lifestyle and dietary changes for your children, you must explain to them the “why” and the benefits of swapping out processed foods with real foods, in addition to the benefits of supplements.
Use facts that explain there will be an improvement in energy, depression, anxiety, school performance, weight loss, or whatever is “their” complaint in “their” words. When they align their goals with yours as a parent, they can take ownership of the healthier protocol, and adopt it as a lifestyle without resentment towards you as the parent.
KEY SUPPLEMENTS TO SUPPORT WEIGHT LOSS IN CHILDREN
The following supplements work synergistically to help maximize weight loss, may support improved insulin sensitivity, help increase fat loss, and support increased mental and physical energy. Furthermore, all of the desired benefits are achieved without the negative side effects experienced with diabetes drugs.
Always consult with your practitioner about the following.
Accelerated Fast®™
Accelerated Fast®™ flips the body into ketosis, or fat burning, within 30 minutes and starts teaching your own body to burn its body fat for energy instead of seeking glucose or sugar.
Taking Accelerated Fast®™ is the most effective way to start burning excess calories, lower blood sugar and insulin levels, breaking up liver fat, and suppress appetite while maintaining high levels of stable energy.
For children, taking Accelerated Fast®™ combined with 12-16 hour intermittent fasting windows, and a low-carb, high wild animal protein diet, insulin sensitivity improves, leading to fat loss while maintaining muscle mass. Furthermore, ATP production, which is true cellular energy, increases significantly, leading to enhanced physical energy.
The additional ingredients in the Accelerated Fast®™ break down saturated fats that have built up in the liver into unsaturated fats; this will help burn the dangerous visceral fat around the belly and the liver fat that lead to insulin resistance and obesity in children.
The more a child’s liver is defatted and unclogged, the more efficient the liver is in breaking down fat molecules into usable energy, reversing Insulin Resistance, and burning the belly fat associated with obesity.
Most children have suboptimal thyroid and metabolism which contributes to weight gain. The liver is also where the thyroid hormone converts the inactive T4 into the active T3, and as the liver function becomes better, the thyroid works better, increasing metabolism and weight loss. When the thyroid isn’t functioning, a slow metabolism will contribute to weight gain.
Accelerated Fast®™ also includes a compound known as HMB which prevents muscle wasting which many people experience when losing weight, especially with the help of diabetic drugs. With more healthy muscle tissue, more mitochondria with increased ATP are sustained in the muscle tissue and more weight loss is achieved in children.
Additionally, the Organic Mukul in the Accelerated Fast®™ is known to break down fats in the body and provide an energy spark to burn those fats that it breaks down; it is a “second” source of ketones for fuel. In Ayurvedic Medicine, it is known to have a “Hot” or “Fire” element potency, and in this formula, it is the “match” that lights the Keto process more quickly than any other keto supplement. Moreover, it further detoxifies the body and liver, supporting the reversal of fatty liver disease.
The Organic Trikatu heats up the digestive “fire”, thus allowing for extremely high absorption of Ketones and other cofactors, as well as increasing the metabolic rate.
Acceleradine® Iodine
Acceleradine® Iodine increases ATP at the cellular level 18 fold. As a result, it increases fat oxidation, metabolism, caloric burn, cognition, physical energy, wound healing, and healthy apoptosis (destruction of diseased cells) in children. Apoptosis is imperative during puberty in children; thus,
Acceleradine® Iodine is a key supplement not just for weight loss, but for healthy growth during this integral period of time. ATP is true cellular energy; when ATP increases, energy and fat oxidation increase, leading to fat loss in children. It also helps improve metabolism and physical energy by supplying the necessary iodine for thyroid hormones. As the thyroid becomes optimized and the ATP is improved, weight loss goals will be achieved much quicker.
Accelerated Thyroid®
Most children with weight gain have suboptimal thyroid function and metabolism. Accelerated Thyroid® is the most comprehensive thyroid supplement that helps increase metabolism, fat oxidation, energy, and weight loss. Unlike any other thyroid supplement, Accelerated Thyroid® is enhanced with scalar healing frequencies to detox the thyroid from heavy metals and radiation in addition to healing the thyroid.
Accelerated Scalar Copper™ is the only copper supplement with 100% absorption (vs 5-10% in other supplements), made with proprietary Scalar technology and enhanced with frequencies for increased efficacy.
Copper helps decrease insulin resistance and obesity in children through a few different ways:
- Copper blocks the polyol pathway which is responsible for converting glucose into sorbitol and fructose. Because of this mechanism uric acid stays in check and fat gain and obesity is prevented.
- Without copper, not only does uric acid increase and fat gain increase but triglycerides and liver fat increases; fatty liver and triglycerides are what lead to obesity.
- The body cannot metabolize fat without copper.
- Copper inhibits PDE3 enzyme which is an enzyme that blocks fat burning; if the body can’t block PDE3, then it can’t burn fat.
- Low levels of cellular copper make fat cells “fatter” by altering how they process their main metabolic fuels, such as fat and sugar.
- Copper helps increase fat burning mechanisms.
- Copper helps regulate iron in the blood which is the root cause of oxidative stress. With less oxidative stress, there is less uric acid.
Additional Supplements For Weight Loss Support
Accelerated Cellular Detox® Powder
Accelerated Cellular Detox® Powder is an organic formula that coats the stomach and intestinal lining, reduces inflammation, helps with bloat and regularity, and alleviates issues like Crohn’s disease and Colitis. It also soaks up all of the toxins throughout the day that can cause unexplained weight gain. As inflammation is decreased and weight-gaining toxins are soaked up, absorption of nutrients is improved and weight loss is improved.
Accelerated Colloidal Silver®
Accelerated Colloidal Silver® may enhance your immune system’s ability to devitalize foreign pathogens including viruses, bacteria, fungus, candida, and parasites; these may contribute to weight gain. By keeping the immune system strong, the body triggers anti-inflammatory processes, leading to optimal health; this encourages better gut health and weight loss mechanisms.
Berberine HCL
Berberine supports normal glucose and fat metabolism, keeping insulin and blood glucose low. When blood sugar spikes, then insulin spikes, leading to weight gain. Therefore, with berberine, the body’s lower blood glucose and insulin encourage weight loss, just as with Ozempic or other diabetic drugs. Berberine has been shown to be just as effective as Metformin without side effects. The HCL helps digestion which in turn, helps nutrient absorption.
Leaky Gut Bundle
Leaky Gut is typically part of the reason for weight gain in children. Processed foods, GMO’s and toxins cause Leaky Gut. The Leaky Gut Bundle works to heal Leaky Gut, eliminate bloat, increase nutrient absorption, and encourage fat loss in children.
Dietary Changes to Encourage Weight Loss in Children
Eliminate Processed Foods
Processed foods are extremely hyper-palatable and blunt your normal taste buds; as a result, kids don’t enjoy the natural sweetness of whole foods while becoming addicted to chemicals and hidden sugars that trick the brain into craving more and feeling unsatiated.
These processed foods have emulsifiers in them which extends their shelf life by bringing together fat and water. However, those emulsifiers destroy the mucosal lining of the gut, causing the neurons to retract in the gut.
Those neurons are responsible for releasing the hormone CCK that tells the brain to stop eating.
In other words, the signals from CCK are shut down and never trigger a suppressed appetite; as a result, children end up wanting to eat more without control. Moreover, the gut now fails to register the amino acids and fatty acids from the “healthy” food to signal satiety. They are limiting the gut’s ability to assess the nutrients and to halt hunger. They also alter the brain’s ability to regulate dopamine which also impacts sugar cravings.
Eliminate Fructose
Fructose metabolizes differently than glucose. It is processed right in the liver and leads to fatty liver. This doesn’t necessarily include fruit; fruit comes with fiber which slows down digestion and the rise of insulin. This includes soda, fruit juice, and processed foods with high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is hidden in packaged meats, dairy, and other “healthy” food.
Eliminate Seed Oils
Up to 50% of the calories in processed foods come from seed oils. These seed oils include canola oil, peanut oil, rice bran oil, cottonseed oil, grapeseed oil, soy oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, and corn oil. They are extremely inflammatory and cause stored fat, damage mitochondria, damage proteins, damage DNA, increase liver fat, increase oxidative stress and lead to obesity in children.
Increase Protein Intake
Consuming 1-1.2 grams of wild animal protein per pound of desired lean body mass will not only satisfy appetite, but simultaneously build lean muscle mass, eliminate bloat, heal the gut, and keep the body in a fat-burning state. Not only will protein not turn into body fat, but it will trigger the hormone CCK that suppresses appetite, supports lean muscle gains, and increases glucagon, the “fat burning” hormone in children.
Animal proteins including lamb, bison, deer, grass-fed beef, elk, wild salmon, arctic char, and other wild fish are complete proteins that include all of the essential amino acids, high omega 3 fatty acids, collagen, and essential vitamins like Vitamin D, E, and Vitamin B’s that are essential for lean muscle growth and efficient fat burn in children. Prioritizing wild protein in the diet will increase the glucagon-to-insulin ratio, which will trigger increased fat burn, weight loss, and insulin sensitivity.
Furthermore, abstaining from chicken, poultry and conventional beef will minimize the amyloid burden in your body. Amyloids are proteins found in conventional meats that increase gut pathogens, trip up fat burning mechanisms, and increase the risk of brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Limit Some Vegetables, Grains, and Beans
Some vegetables, grains, and beans have oxalates, sulfur, and lectins that cause bloat and weight gain. By eliminating all beans, all grains, and most vegetables except cucumbers, asparagus, artichoke, zucchini, squash, romaine lettuce, butter lettuce, and celery, you are eliminating the most common offenders.
Once the gut is healed and weight loss is achieved, you can start incorporating these vegetables again. Most children won’t have to limit these foods to get initial results in weight loss and reversing fatty liver. If they hit a plateau, then it is recommended to limit the above mentioned foods.
Eliminate Fake Sweeteners
Fake sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin, dextrose, maltitol and others not only raise blood sugar, create an insulin response, and stimulate appetite for real sugar and carbs, but also wreak havoc on the gut microbiome. As a result, leaky gut surfaces and bloat, constipation and malabsorption may ensue. Monk Fruit and Stevia are less problematic in limited amounts, but they do skew taste buds and increase cravings for real sugar, possibly leading to increased caloric consumption.
Use Acids
Adding lemon, lime and apple cider vinegar may help blunt the blood sugar escalation. Not only that but when combined with a touch of honey or stevia, they can replace fruit juice and sodas for children.
Eat Protein and Fibrous Vegetables First
By starting the meal with wild animal protein, the appetite signals to control overeating become optimized, and the dense nutrients become registered efficiently by the gut. Moreover, this will slow the rise of blood sugar and insulin versus if carbs are eaten initially and spike the blood sugar. As you blunt the rise and fall of blood sugar, your appetite and cravings will be lessened.
Lifestyle Changes to Help Reduce Childhood Obesity
Exercise around meal time
By engaging in low exertion exercise, like walking, before or after a meal, fat oxidation is increased, blood sugar is lowered, and stress hormones are reduced; all of these factors encourage healthy weight loss in children.
Manipulate Ghrelin
This is the hunger hormone that initiates the hungry feeling, triggered by a low level of glucose in the blood. It activates neurons in the brain to trigger hunger. It can be adjusted by about 45 minutes per day. In other words, to adjust your children’s meal time, start to move it by 45 minutes each day until the desired mealtime is reached to help extend the fasting period. This is the amount of time neural circuits can handle the shifting of ghrelin signals.
Encourage less time on electronic devices
There is no doubt electronic devices have a lot to answer for in the search for causes of childhood obesity. Many parents are heard complaining about the time their children spend on electronic devices, the key is to discourage too much use from a young age.
If your child has become hooked on gaming or social media, start setting time limits and create device-free zones in the house. Remembering you may have a battle on your hands but you are setting limits for their health.
Sara Banta
Sara Banta is a Stanford University Graduate with a Degree in Economics and Psychology, and a certified Natural Supplement Expert & Graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Sara is the Founder of Accelerated Health Products and host of the health & wellness podcast, Accelerated Health Radio.