Weight Loss Drugs Linked to Extra Hair Loss Risk in Men
Newsweek spoke to a general practitioner who said the findings point to an "important biological signal."
A new study indicates that popular weight-loss drugs, including GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound, may increase the risk of hair loss in men who are genetically predisposed to male-pattern baldness. Researchers at NYU Langone Health discovered that men with a specific genetic makeup linked to the GLP1R gene, which influences GLP-1 receptor activity, face a 7 percent higher likelihood of experiencing androgenetic alopecia, the most common form of hair loss in men.
This genetic evidence provides the first scientific link between GLP-1 activity and androgenetic alopecia, a condition that has long been suspected but not scientifically proven. While initial reports suggested the link could be due to rapid weight loss, reduced calorie intake, or nutrient deficiencies, the study found the increased risk persists even after accounting for these factors.
The research analyzed genetic data from over 31,000 men and women and more than 205,000 men, primarily white participants, and confirmed a causal relationship between GLP-1 usage and hair loss risk. Study senior investigator Lynn Petukhova suggested that future experiments could enable screening of patients for hair loss risk before prescribing GLP-1 medications, potentially leading to preventative treatment strategies.
Written by urgent.news from Newsweek's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
