NEW DELHI, July 23 -- In what seems like a trade-off between weight loss and hair loss, a new study has found that the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists - commonly called weight-loss drugs - used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity is associated with an increased risk of hair loss (alopecia) in adults.

Although the absolute risk is low, awareness of this potential effect may help inform shared treatment decisions, said the researchers in the paper titled "Risk of hair loss associated with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in adults with type 2 diabetes: Target trial emulation", which was published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on Wednesday.

Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss. It has been reported ...