WEIGHT loss jabs might make your hair fall out, according to a study.
Slimmers taking the blockbuster injections Wegovy or Mounjaro had a higher than average risk of alopecia.
About one in 1,000 Brits have alopecia at any given time (stock image) Credit: Alamy
Millions of people in the UK use weight loss injections (stock image) Credit: Getty
Experts at the University of Pennsylvania said patients are at greater risk of vitamin or mineral deficiencies that might cause hair loss.
It suggests that topping up zinc and iron levels could help protect agains the side effect.
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The researchers added that any rapid weight loss can trigger alopecia, whether jabs are used or not.
About one in 50 Brits experience alopecia at some point in their life and an estimated one in 1,000 have it at any given time.
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Hundreds of UK patients have reported their hair falling out after taking the jabs.
Medical watchdog the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence rates hair loss as a ‘common or very common’ side effect.
The new study compared alopecia rates in 24,000 type 2 diabetes patients using the GLP-1 injections with others taking different medicines.
It found jab users were up to 68 per cent more likely to have alopecia.
The risk increased more for women than for men.
They suffered a reversible form of the condition called non-scarring alopecia, meaning their hair could grow back after stopping treatment.
Writing in the British Medical Journal, study author Dr Yong Chen said: “The most likely mechanism relates to weight loss and reduced calorie intake.
“Caloric restriction may contribute to physiological stress and micronutrient deficiencies, for example, iron, zinc, biotin, which can disrupt the hair growth cycle.
“Other contributing factors may include the broad metabolic, hormonal, and immunological effects attributed to GLP-1 receptor agonists that may influence hair follicle growth.”
Dr Chen added that the medicines might also affect hormones and the immune system in a way that raises hair loss risk.
Weight loss injections have become one of the NHS’ biggest spends as Mounjaro broke the all-time record with £574million spent on prescribing it in England last year.
Around four million Brits are estimated to be current or past users of the jabs.
Figures from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency show it received 1,252 reports of patients losing their hair after taking semaglutide (Wegovy) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro) in the past two years.
More typical side effects include feeling sick, constipation and tiredness.
WEIGHT LOSS JABS ‘SAFE FOR CHILDREN’
A NEW review by Canadian scientists has found that weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro could safely help thousands of obese children as young as six.
The jabs can slash high blood pressure and improve quality of life, they found.
Analysis of nine studies involved more than 750 children prescribed a weight loss jab for at least six months.
It showed they lost around 5kg (11lbs) on average; their average systolic blood pressure – the top number on a reading – fell by 2.24 mmHg; and their heart rate reduced by 2.83 beats per minute.
The only significant safety concern was feeling sick – they were three times more likely to do so than children given a placebo.
