A recent study has revealed a possible link between the use of common GLP-1 drugs for treating diabetes and obesity, and an increased risk of pattern hair loss in men who have a genetic predisposition to the condition.
The results of the study, conducted by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center, showed that men who carry genetic factors associated with androgenic alopecia, the most common form of hair loss in men, may face a 7% increased risk of hair loss when using drugs from the class of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, such as Ozempic, Wegovi, and Zipbound.
The researchers focused on the GLP1R gene, which is associated with the production of GLP-1 receptor proteins in the body. The activity of this gene is used as an indicator of the level of GLP-1 receptor activity; higher activity indicates a greater number of these receptors.
The researchers compared genetic data associated with GLP1R activity with genetic data from men with androgenic alopecia, a genetic condition that leads to gradual hair loss, often from the front of the head and the upper scalp area.
The comparison showed an association between increased GLP1R activity and predisposition to androgenic alopecia, suggesting a possible biological link between GLP-1 activity and hair loss.
To ensure that this relationship was not linked to other factors, the researchers considered a range of known or potential factors that could affect hair loss, including high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and low testosterone levels.
Despite adjusting the analyses according to these factors, the increase in the risk of hair loss associated with GLP-1 activity remained at around 7%.
Some men and women using GLP-1 medications have reported hair thinning and loss after starting treatment. The most common explanation to date has been that rapid weight loss can cause temporary hair loss.
GLP-1 medications work by regulating blood sugar levels and reducing appetite, which aids in weight loss. In some cases, hair growth returns to normal after several months of weight stabilization.
But the new study provides genetic evidence suggesting that the relationship may not be related to weight loss alone, but rather that some people may have a genetic predisposition that makes them more prone to hair loss when GLP-1 pathway activity is high.
Lynn Petukhova, the study's lead researcher and an assistant professor in the Ronald O. Perlman Department of Dermatology and the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, believes the findings could pave the way for developing methods to identify people most at risk of hair loss before treatment begins.
Petukhova said that future studies may help identify some men, and possibly women as well, who have a higher genetic predisposition to hair loss, before prescribing GLP-1 drugs to them.
However, Petukhova stressed the need for more research to understand the biological mechanism that might link GLP-1 activity to hair follicle growth, and the researchers also plan to study whether the same relationship exists in women.
The study results were published electronically in the journal Investigative Dermatology.
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