New York [US], September 5 (ANI): Weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound may be linked to a higher risk of male pattern hair loss, with men already genetically predisposed to the condition facing a 7 per cent added risk, according to a new study led by researchers at NYU Langone Health.
Published online on September 3 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, the peer-reviewed study is the first to identify a genetic link between GLP-1 activity and an increased risk of androgenetic alopecia, an inherited form of hair loss that typically follows a pattern along the top and front of the scalp.
The researchers examined the GLP1R gene, which naturally influences levels of GLP-1 receptor proteins in the body, and compared its activity with genetic markers associated with androgenetic alopecia in men.
They found that GLP1R genes associated with naturally higher levels of GLP-1 receptor proteins were more likely to be present in men with androgenetic alopecia. After accounting for hypertension, which is thought to reduce blood flow to the scalp and affect hair follicle growth, the additional risk remained at 7 per cent.
The researchers also assessed other potential factors associated with hair loss, including insulin resistance and lower testosterone levels. The 7 per cent increased risk linked to GLP-1 activity remained after those factors were considered.
GLP-1 drugs are used to regulate blood sugar and suppress appetite, and many users have reported thinning hair as a side effect. Researchers have so far largely attributed the shedding to rapid weight loss caused by the medicines. Hair growth often resumes several months after weight stabilises.
Until now, however, a genetic connection between GLP-1 use and hair loss had only been suspected.
“Our study provides the first genetic link between GLP-1 use and an increased risk of male-pattern hair loss from androgenetic alopecia, an association long suspected but until now not shown scientifically,” said senior investigator Lynn Petukhova, PhD, assistant professor in the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology and the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
Petukhova said the findings could eventually help identify people at higher risk of hair loss before they are prescribed GLP-1 medicines, if future experiments confirm the association. She also said the findings could potentially lead to combination treatments aimed at preventing hair loss.
The study did not establish the biological mechanism responsible for the association. Petukhova said further research is needed to determine how GLP-1 activity may affect hair follicle growth and whether the findings seen in men also apply to women.
The researchers used large publicly available genetic databases, including the eQTLGen database, which contains data from 31,684 mostly White men and women, and the Complex Traits Genetics group database, comprising 205,327 mostly White men.
Androgenetic alopecia is estimated to affect about half of White American men over age 50 and nearly the same proportion of White American women over 50, particularly those who are postmenopausal.
According to surveys cited in the study information, an estimated 12 per cent of Americans have used GLP-1 drugs solely for weight loss, including one in five women aged 50 to 64. Since Ozempic became the first GLP-1 drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2020, prescriptions for the medication have more than tripled.
The study was supported by National Institutes of Health grants R01AR080796 and K01AR075111, as per Eureka Alert!
The researchers disclosed several industry relationships. Jerry Shapiro, MD, and Kristen Lo Sicco, MD, have previously served as study investigators for hair-loss drugs and devices manufactured by Pfizer and Regen Labs. Lo Sicco is also a paid consultant for Pfizer, Lilly, Ro, Priovant, Veradermics and Aquis. NYU Langone said the terms of these relationships are managed under its institutional policies.
The study also involved researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, King’s College London and Columbia University.
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