Study Finds GLP-1 Drugs Raise Genetic Hair Loss Risk in Men

Men already at genetic risk for the most common form of hair loss face a 7 percent added risk of losing their hair if they use GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound for type 2 diabetes and obesity, according to a new study led by researchers at NYU Langone Health.

The study focused on the GLP1R gene, which naturally increases the body’s levels of GLP-1 receptor proteins, using it as an indicator of GLP-1 agonist activity. Researchers compared the presence of GLP1R genes with genes found in men with androgenetic alopecia, an inherited form of hair loss along the top and front of the scalp. Because male hair loss is well studied, unlike hair loss in women, researchers could only analyze a causal link in men. 

Many GLP-1 users have reported thinning hair as a side effect, which researchers have so far attributed to the rapid weight loss driven by the medications; hair growth often resumes once weight stabilizes. Until now, a genetic connection between GLP-1 use and hair loss had only been suspected.

Published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, the study found that GLP1R genes causing higher GLP-1 receptor protein levels are more likely to appear in men with androgenetic alopecia. After adjusting the analysis to discount known hair-loss risk from hypertension, which is thought to reduce blood flow to the scalp, the 7 percent added risk remained unchanged; it also held after researchers checked it against insulin resistance and lowered testosterone levels as other potential drivers. Because the study involved genes active in both GLP-1 users and men with hair loss, the researchers said the overlapping risk suggests the two are biologically linked.

“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 study senior investigator Lynn Petukhova. “Our findings suggest that, if future experiments prove successful, some men, and possibly women too, could be screened and benchmarked for their risk of hair loss before being prescribed GLP-1 medications,” Petukhova said. “We could also envision these findings leading to some GLP-1 users being prescribed combination treatments to prevent hair loss, such as minoxidil or some other drug.”

Petukhova said further research is needed to understand the biological mechanisms causing GLP-1 use to weaken hair follicle growth, and she plans to investigate whether the links seen in men apply to women.