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Weight loss drugs have been linked to a series of surprising health problems, according to new research.
The multinational study, presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress, examined patients using the GLP-1 group of drugs, which includes drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.
Researchers found that users were more than four times more likely to experience nail detachment – when the nail pulls away from the underlying bed – as well as thinning hair and inflamed scalp.
Experts stressed that while the results are significant, they are not a reason for users to stop taking their medications without consulting a healthcare professional.
According to a study by University College London, around 1.6 million adults in the UK use or have used weight loss drugs.
The scientists made the discovery while conducting the first large-scale controlled investigation into how these therapies affect human hair, skin and nails.
Historically, doctors routinely viewed brittle nails and patchy hair loss as the inevitable price of rapid weight loss.
But after examining 575 patients taking GLP-1 drugs in France, the United States, Brazil and Mexico, researchers found that weight loss alone could not explain these side effects.
In total, 66 percent of GLP-1 users reported at least one nail problem, compared to 53 percent in a control group of 1,329 non-users living with diabetes or obesity.
Nail peeling affected 39 percent of people taking the drug compared to 9 percent of non-users, while 46 percent experienced visible nail discoloration.
Even when scientists took into account pre-existing skin conditions, nutritional deficiencies and changes in body weight, nail peeling remained two to three times higher among GLP-1 users.
“Until now, nail changes associated with GLP-1 therapies have been mostly anecdotal,” said lead author Dr. Charles Taïeb.
“Our results show a clear association, but they also highlight an important point: not everything that happens during GLP-1 treatment is necessarily caused by the treatment itself. »
A parallel study of the same group of patients identified generalized scalp symptoms that rarely appeared in isolation.
Half of all GLP-1 users reported unusual hair loss, while 42 percent experienced a reduction in their hair volume, compared to 19 percent of non-users.
Hair loss was almost always accompanied by itching, flaking, or active redness of the scalp, according to the study.
The presence of widespread inflammation suggests that the drugs may trigger an underlying biological response in hair follicles, rather than acting solely through a caloric deficit.
“This suggests that what is happening on the scalp might go beyond the classic weight loss seen after rapid weight loss and involve an inflammatory component,” explained co-author Dr. Bruno Halioua.
“Scalp inflammation was the rule rather than the exception, which clinicians are not currently looking for and which could be treated. »
The research team is currently preparing long-term clinical trials to follow patients from their first dose, with the goal of determining exactly when these cosmetic side effects manifest and whether they disappear over time.
Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have been contacted for comment.
Gn Health
