Teenagers should be offered a “transformative” anti-obesity treatment to help them lose weight, experts have said. Academics said that the weight loss injection semaglutide could help adolescents with obesity to shed pounds after a new study found an average weight loss of 40 pounds (18 kilos). Teens living with obesity were offered the semaglutide drug for more than a year in a new clinical trial. The study, published at the European Congress on Obesity in Dublin and the journal Obesity, found that 45 per cent of teens using the appetite suppressant drug were no longer classed as obese 68 weeks after starting treatment. This is compared to 12 per cent in a group who were taking “dummy” drugs – also known as placebos. Some 19.5 per cent dropped down into the “overweight” category and a quarter (25.4 per cent) were able to reduce their BMI into the “normal” weight category, the conference heard. The average reduction in body weight with semaglutide – sold under the brand name Wegovy – compared to placebo was about 40 pounds (18 kilos), researchers said. Many do very well with this medication though, and it can be life-changing for them Dr Aaron Kelly, University of Minnesota The authors of the paper conclude that “semaglutide represents an efficacious treatment option for adolescents with obesity”. But presenting the study, Dr Aaron Kelly, from the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis, USA, said that it should be taken as part of a package of measures to help teens living with the condition. He said that the earlier the treatment starts “the better” to prevent further weight gain. But he said that treatment should be taken long-term, as would be expected with other chronic conditions. Dr Kelly told reporters that there were side effects – mostly of nausea and vomiting – but these were “transient” and most dissipated over time. If you engage in treatment that’s effective, you’ll see an effect but if you take that treatment away – it’s like a rubber band, it’s going to come right back to where it started Dr Aaron Kelly “There’s a whole spectrum of outcomes when you use anti-obesity medications – some do really really well, some don’t do as well,” he said. “Many do very well with this medication though, and it can be life-changing for them. “Being a research scientist nothing brings me more pleasure than hearing the stories from the adolescents who have been struggling their entire life to manage their weight and haven’t been able to – it’s not about trying hard or not, they all try hard – this gives them a tool to help take control of their weight. “And that’s transformational for many teenagers.” He added: “I believe that health care providers should offer that as part of the comprehensive treatment approach – it’s not just one thing, it’s lifestyle therapy – which was included in this trial; it’s the use of anti-obesity medications and, for some, metabolic and bariatric surgery. “A question I get asked a lot is, ‘Is this going to solve the obesity problem? Should we just give it to everybody?’ No, it’s not going to solve the obesity problem, but it’s an important piece to the puzzle at helping to solve it especially for those who already have obesity.” Dr Kelly said that coming off the drugs would lead to weight coming back, adding: “Let’s use high blood pressure as an example, medications are commonly used and prescribed to treat high blood pressure. “And when they have prescribed, the intent of the health care provider – if (the drug is) tolerated and continues to be effective – effectively that person would stay on that medication, probably for the rest of their life. Obesity is exactly the same thing. “If you engage in treatment that’s effective, you’ll see an effect but if you take that treatment away – it’s like a rubber band, it’s going to come right back to where it started.” On when treatment should commence among teens, he added: “If obesity surfaces in childhood, it probably represents one of the most aggressive forms of obesity that we know of. “If you are a child or adolescent with obesity, you are highly likely to carry that obesity and excess adiposity into adulthood. You don’t just snap out of it. “My centre comes of the approach that the earlier the better. “And, and if medically eligible, the use of medications early is probably going to (give) the best outcomes over time because if you allow the disease to progress and the pounds to to add on over time, it gets harder and harder to draw that back. “And so conceptually, I think it makes sense to intervene early and not allow that to happen, and that probably gives the child the best shot at living a long, healthy, happy life.” Meanwhile, another study presented at the conference found that people who have shed weight may be at risk of “psychological scarring”. The paper, led by academics at the University of Liverpool, found that people who have had obesity, even if they have lost weight, could be at risk. 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Selena Gomez has launched her inaugural Rare Impact Fund Benefit auction, and many A-list celebrities donated big-ticket events and items to raise funds for mental health awareness. On 4 October, the Rare Beauty founder celebrated the first annual Rare Impact Fund Benefit: A Night of Radiance and Reflection in Los Angeles. The event supported Gomez’s non-profit organisation, the Rare Impact Fund, which works to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and expand access to mental health services and education for young people. Not only did the sold-out event help raise money towards the Rare Impact Fund’s mission of mental health awareness, but it was also attended and supported by a number of star-studded celebrities. Martin Short, Gomez’s Only Murders in the Building co-star, served as emcee and auctioneer for the evening. Of course, the legendary comedian didn’t stray from making the occasional joke or two. “I am proud to call Selena Gomez my friend, and not because she’s successful or rich; because she’s both,” said Short, per the Hollywood Reporter. “What makes tonight very important is we’re here to support youth mental health awareness. I don’t think there’s anyone in this room that hasn’t been touched by mental health and its issues and the pain it can bring a family. We are here to raise urgent funds for the young people who need them.” The benefit also featured a special performance by Grammy-winning singer HER and a DJ set from music producer and Gomez’s “Wolves” collaborator, Marshmello. However, it was the number of big-ticket items and experiences donated by celebrities that were the main event. Perhaps the most notable donation came from Gomez’s longtime friend Taylor Swift, who donated VIP tickets to her Eras Tour concert, listed on the Rare Impact Fund Benefit’s auction site for the starting price of $5,000. The item is no longer available, according to the Hollywood Reporter, because it’s already sold for a staggering $15,000. Gomez’s fellow Only Murders in the Building co-star, Paul Rudd, also donated quite the fan experience - a movie night with none other than Rudd himself for $5,000. Other sold auction items included a glam session with Gomez’s stylists and lunch with Camila Cabello. Pro soccer star Lionel Messi donated a signed jersey, which may explain Gomez’s meme-worthy attendance at his Inter Miami game in Los Angeles earlier this month. The Argentine player’s jersey is still available to bid for $6,000. Other items that have not yet been sold include VIP tickets to Luke Combs’ “Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old” tour in Los Angeles, a signed banjo from Steve Martin, a luxury five-night Airbnb getaway to Mexico, and a four-night stay at the Four Seasons Resort in Maui. Gomez took the stage at the Rare Impact Fund Benefit on Wednesday, where she spoke about her own struggles with mental health. “This has been the culmination of a lifelong dream for me, but it has also stemmed from some of the darkest moments in my life,” the former Disney Channel star told attendees. “I struggled with the world inside my head for a long time and I felt lost and I felt hopeless at times. In 2020, I received my diagnosis of bipolar disorder and, to be honest, everything quickly changed,” she continued. “I actually got the knowledge and the answers I had been desperate for for so long, and understanding that obviously makes me become more aware of it, and I’m less afraid than I used to be. “With that knowledge, I could seek out the support I needed to be myself, to find my joy again, and tonight I’m very proud to say that I have. I’m working really hard every day and I’m so happy just to be alive and be here with you guys today.” The Rare Impact Fund, which Gomez founded in 2020, has a goal of raising $100m in the next 10 years to expand access to mental health services and education for young people around the world. While the “Lose You to Love Me” singer acknowledged that her mission “probably sounds really absurd,” she noted that it’s people like her little sister, Gracie, and “the world that she and her generation inherits” that inspires her to make the world “a kinder one, a clearer one, a more connected one, with support and access”. “It has been my ultimate dream to launch this fund and it’s probably the most important thing that I’ve ever done, and I just couldn’t be more proud of the Rare Impact team for the work that they’re doing,” Gomez added, before thanking the crowd for “everything you’re going to do tonight; it’s the hardest journey I’ve ever been on but by far the most rewarding”. Gomez first revealed she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder - a mental health condition that causes episodes of mood swings - in 2020, when she appeared on Miley Cyrus’s Instagram Live series titled “Bright Minded”. During a wide-ranging interview with Rolling Stone published in November 2022, Gomez shared that she checked into a mental health facility in 2018 after experiencing her first bipolar episode. She opened up about the “dark” period in her “early twenties” when she “started to feel like I was not in control of what I was feeling, whether that was really great or really bad”. In her Apple TV+ documentary, My Mind & Me, Gomez described the fear she felt after receiving her bipolar disorder diagnosis. “When I first got out, I didn’t know how I’d cope with my diagnosis,” she recalled in the documentary, which was released last November. “What if it happened again? What if the next time, I didn’t come back? “I needed to keep learning about it,” she said of the condition. “I needed to take it day by day.” Gomez has also been open about her battle with the autoimmune condition lupus, which she was diagnosed with in 2014 and underwent a kidney transplant for in 2017. Read More Selena Gomez opens up about her mental health struggles: ‘Maybe it would be damaging to tell people who I am’ Selena Gomez opens up about bipolar diagnosis: ‘I’ve been to four treatment centers’ Selena Gomez reveals she may never carry children due to bipolar medication How to dress like Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce for Halloween 2023 NFL defends spotlighting Taylor Swift during Travis Kelce’s games Travis Kelce says the NFL is ‘overdoing it’ with their Taylor Swift coverage

A “heartbroken” George Russell struggled to hold back the tears after he believed victory slipped through his hands in Singapore on a frenetic night when Red Bull’s winning streak finally came to an end. Max Verstappen arrived in the city-state on a record run of 10 straight victories, with his Red Bull team unbeaten this season. But Formula One’s all-conquering team were nowhere here – dashing their hopes of becoming the grid’s first ‘Invincibles’. Verstappen finished fifth. Instead it was Carlos Sainz, who was crowned the first non-Red Bull winner of the year. The Ferrari driver took the chequered flag just eight tenths clear of McLaren’s Lando Norris, following another fine drive by the British star, with Lewis Hamilton third for Mercedes. Russell’s bid for victory ended in the wall on the last lap with only nine corners left. “In the moment you want to curl up in a ball and be with nobody,” said Russell as he cleared his throat and his eyes red. “It is the most horrendous feeling in the world when you are so physically and mentally drained and you miss out on an opportunity for victory. I made a mistake. It is truly heartbreaking.” At a circuit where overtaking is almost impossible, Mercedes rolled the strategy dice by putting both Russell and Hamilton on fresh tyres on lap 45 of 62. Russell left the pits 17.5 seconds behind Sainz. On lap 53, he swatted Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc aside and victory – which would have been only the second of his career – looked possible. Sainz, on old tyres, was eight seconds up the road. Norris was nibbling at the Ferrari gearbox, as Russell and Hamilton, in the other black-liveried Mercedes in tow, set about hunting them down. Russell was soon on the back of Norris’ papaya McLaren. With Norris out of the way, Sainz would surely be easy prey. With three laps to run, Russell was handed his golden opportunity. The Mercedes man got better traction out of Turn 14 and nearly drew alongside Norris before slipping back into his tow and attempting to plant his machine around the outside of his countryman under braking for Turn 16. But amid of a flurry of orange sparks, Norris could not be dislodged. And Russell’s chance was gone. Then, on the last lap of a race which ran for one hour and 46 minutes in the intense heat and humidity and is regarded to be the most challenging of the year, Russell was out. He brushed the barrier on the entry to Turn 10 and crashed into the barrier. “No, no, f***, f***,” the breathless Briton yelled over the radio. “What the f***.” “I had half-a-chance with Lando,” said Russell. “Half-a-car’s length difference and I think we would have won the race. “I would have got ahead of Lando and Carlos would have been stuck without DRS and I would have flown by him. Instead, I ended the race in the wall. “I don’t know how it happened, maybe a lack of concentration, frustration knowing that was the last lap and the opportunity had gone and a one centimetre mistake has clouded the whole weekend. “It was such a nothing of a mistake. If I span off, or locked up and ended up in the wall I would be feeling very different. But to clip the wall on the last lap is such a pathetic mistake which is why it feels so strange right now. I put everything on the line, I was knackered at the end. “I will have a tough night and a tough morning, but I will put it behind me and go again. I can only apologise to the team because they deserved more, but s*** happens.” Hamilton tapped Russell on the midriff to offer his sympathy as the seven-time world champion conducted his interviews. Russell wore dark sunglasses as he walked off into the glaring light of the paddock – perhaps to hide the pain. Hamilton, who claimed his 196th podium, said: “For George, it was really unfortunate to finish that way, but he continues to grow and improve. “I know he will get stronger and faster, and if can help him, I will naturally be part of that over the next couple of years. It can happen to any of us and it it just one of those things.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lance Stroll to sit out Singapore Grand Prix after huge crash in qualifying ‘You can forget about that’ – Max Verstappen rules out another win in Singapore Lance Stroll crashes into barrier at 110mph in Singapore Grand Prix qualifying

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