Could weight-loss injections be increasing hair loss? Here’s what experts say

Millions of people taking popular weight-loss injections like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro to shed unwanted weight are experiencing an unexpected side effect. 

According to new research, these weight-loss drugs significantly increase the risk of hair loss. The research suggests that patients on these medications are 70 per cent more likely to suffer hair loss than those taking other diabetes medicines.

In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania examined more than 50,000 health records and found that people taking Wegovy and Mounjaro had a higher probability of alopecia. 

Because these medications are also used to help treat people with type 2 diabetes and help compare diabetes on the drugs with those using other types of diabetes medicines such as SGLT-2 inhibitors and DPP-4 inhibitors.

The study results revealed surprising facts that people on GLP-1s were 69 per cent more likely to have hair loss than those on DPP-4 inhibitors, and 37 per cent more highly likely than those on SGLT-2 inhibitors.

It has been observed that hair loss was more common around one year after starting the weight-loss injections. The study found a connection in both men and women, but it appeared stronger in women.

The scientists write, “Such changes could influence hair growth through endocrine mechanisms, particularly in individuals with underlying hormonal conditions,”

“Our findings extend previous anecdotal safety signals and provide more systematic evidence to inform clinical awareness of this potential adverse effect.”

Evidence reveals that the hair loss is a form of non-scarring alopecia where hair follicles are unaffected and there is potential for hair to regrow.

The researchers elaborated in their study that the US Food and Drug Administration was receiving reports of hair loss among users of the weight-loss medications and has been assessing the potential safety signal.

Experts underlined that severe calorie restriction may result in psychological stress and micronutrient deficiencies such as iron, zinc, and biotin which ultimately disrupted the hair growth cycle. 

Other key causes also include the hormonal effects the drugs have on people, leading to adverse effects on hair growth.

Nonetheless a weight-management researcher at the University of Cambridge said that the heightened risk of alopecia translated to around three additional clinically recorded cases of hair loss per 1,000 person-years of treatment compared with alternative diabetes drugs.