GLP-1 medications appear to be linked to a higher risk of hair loss for some patients, a new study suggests.
However, the overall risk appears to be “small,” researchers noted.
The observational BMJ study released Wednesday examined just over 50,000 people with Type 2 diabetes taking GLP-1 receptor stimulants, comparing them with patients using other diabetes drugs such as SGLT-2 and DPP-4 inhibitors.
The study says that GLP-1 usage was associated with a 37 per cent “higher risk of alopecia” compared with SGLT-2 inhibitors and a 68 per cent higher risk than those who use DPP-4 inhibitors. A link to “non-scarring alopecia” with those who use GLP-1 drugs was also noted.
Actual rates of alopecia were low, ranging from roughly three to nine per 1,000 people per year, with between 11,000 and 15,000 people in each drug-class group.
“Although the absolute risk was small, awareness of this potential effect may support informed, patient centred treatment decisions,” the study reads.
Dr. Elena Netchiporouk, Quebec’s regional director with the Canadian Dermatology Association, stated that the study’s findings are well-established.
“Anything that will lead to a rapid weight loss will be associated with temporary hair loss,” she said.
Health Canada states that SGLT-2 inhibitors are “drugs designed to lower blood sugar in adults with T
ype 2 diabetes by helping remove excess sugar from the body through the urine,” while DPP-4 inhibitors are also used to treat Type 2 diabetes in adults alongside “an appropriate diet and exercise to control blood sugar.”
In some cases, DPP-4 inhibitors are also used with another anti-diabetic drug.
The study found that the drugs themselves may not be directly damaging hair follicles, but rather “the broad metabolic, hormonal, and immunological effects attributed to GLP-1 receptor agonists that may influence hair follicle growth and cycling.”
That means it appears that hair loss is not due to the drug itself, but rather the body losing weight too quickly, according to Netchiporouk.
Netchiporouk also added that “gastrointestinal symptoms” associated with taking the drugs can contribute to hair loss.
“Some people have nausea, vomiting, the decrease of food intake, so there could be also nutritional deficiencies that can contribute to hair loss that’s besides the weight loss.”
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The study also states that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has previously described “occurrences of hair loss following initiation of a GLP-1 receptor agonist, particularly semaglutide and tirzepatide,” singling out the drugs used in Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro.
“In response, the FDA has indicated that it is evaluating this potential safety signal,” the study reads. “Although hair loss does not typically result in physical harm, it may have significant psychosocial consequences, affecting self-esteem, quality of life, and adherence to treatment.”
That study also suggested that “the risk of hair loss may not be fully explained by rapid or extreme weight loss alone.”
A similar finding was highlighted in an April 2026 Sage Journals study, which found “accumulating evidence from pharmacovigilance databases and clinical cohorts suggests an increased risk of hair loss with certain GLP-1 RAs, particularly semaglutide and tirzepatide.”
In preventing hair loss, Netchiporouk recommends “not losing the weight too quickly.”
“If people lose one pound to one kilogram a week, that will have the hair shedding, if they don’t care about the hair shedding, it’s OK then. They can lose it and then the hair will regrow,” she said.
“Also, decrease the dose, particularly at the beginning. Even if they’re already at the minimal dose, we can do half of the minimal dose to get the body used to it. Everyone reacts to medication differently. And even the minimal dose can be just too much for somebody.”
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
