{"id":875377,"date":"2026-10-08T17:40:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T17:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/875377\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T17:40:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T17:40:18","slug":"glp-1s-linked-to-a-gross-side-effect-in-nails-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/875377\/","title":{"rendered":"GLP-1s linked to a gross side effect in nails: study"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ozempic and Mounjaro can cost an arm and a leg \u2014 and maybe a fingernail. <\/p>\n

A new study found that people on GLP-1 drugs were nearly 25% more likely to experience a nail disorder than those not on the drugs.<\/p>\n

And one particularly squirm-inducing problem was over four times more likely to appear in GLP-1 users.<\/p>\n

\"AMore than one in 10 US adults are on a GLP-1 medication. Yulia Antonova \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

The new study<\/a>, presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, found that 39% of GLP-1 users reported nail detachment \u2014 when the finger or toe nail separates from the nail bed \u2014 compared to just 9% of controls.<\/p>\n

Once it\u2019s detached, the nail can\u2019t be reattached. It\u2019ll take several months or over a year to regrow.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not all. Researchers found that two thirds of GLP-1 users report at least one nail disorder, including nail discoloration \u2014\u00a0which appeared 2.7 times more frequently in those on the meds.<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil now, nail changes associated with GLP-1 therapies had essentially been anecdotal,\u201d said study author Charles Ta\u00efeb. <\/p>\n

Do GLP-1s cause nail problems?<\/p>\n

In trials, GLP-1s have shown to cause up to 22% weight loss \u2014 though real-world loss is more around 2-8%<\/a> in a year.<\/p>\n

That weight loss can cause nail problems, though, from slower growth to brittle nails<\/a>. This is connected to nutritional deficiencies as a result of less eating, and dehydration.<\/p>\n

Researchers of the new study can\u2019t say for sure whether it\u2019s the meds causing nail issues, or primary effects like weight loss.<\/p>\n

While researchers did try to adjust the results accounting for existing dermatological conditions, nutritional deficiencies and weight loss, nail detachment and discoloration still showed up two to three times as often with GLP-1 users.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur findings show a clear association, but they also underline an important point: Not everything that happens during GLP-1 treatment is necessarily caused by the treatment itself,\u201d Ta\u00efeb said.<\/p>\n

\"AGLP-1 users are four times more likely to experience detached nails, a new study suggests. Rido \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Nail and hair loss<\/p>\n

A companion study with the same participants in the first showed that hair loss was also significantly higher in those on a GLP-1 drug.<\/p>\n

Unusual hair loss (noticeable shedding) was reported by 50% of GLP-1 users compared to 34% in those not on the drug.<\/p>\n

Loss in volume or density (overall less hair that remains) was more than twice as common in those on the jab, and scalp redness was around three times as common. <\/p>\n

Hair loss on GLP-1s are a known phenomenon. Experts say that it\u2019s \u201calmost always<\/a>\u201d temporary and a reaction to weight loss and rapid physical changes.<\/p>\n

Authors of this study believe that something more than weight loss is at play, though. They note that hair loss was usually accompanied by itching, redness or scaling \u2014 a sign that there\u2019s \u201can inflammatory component\u201d at play.<\/p>\n

\u201cScalp inflammation was the rule rather than the exception, which clinicians do not currently look for and which may be treatable,\u201d explained author Dr. Bruno Halioua. Doctors can prescribe special shampoos and topical medications to address inflammation on the scalp.<\/p>\n

Authors stress these new results should be for \u201cawareness rather than alarm.\u201d Hair and nail loss, at the end of the day, is aesthetic and temporary, while weight loss has a huge long-term impact on many aspects of health.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese changes are frequent, usually benign, and are not a reason to stop an effective treatment on one\u2019s own initiative,\u201d Halioua said. \u201cAnyone who notices hair shedding, an itchy or red scalp or nail changes should mention it to their doctor rather than discontinue therapy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ozempic and Mounjaro can cost an arm and a leg \u2014 and maybe a fingernail. A new study…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":875378,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[3436,97,686,66674,3284,3458],"class_list":["post-875377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-glp-1","tag-health","tag-medicine","tag-nails","tag-study-says","tag-weight-loss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=875377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875377\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/875378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=875377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=875377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=875377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}