Scalp Hair Metabolomics in Severe Obesity
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- This is an observational study: the protocol does not assign a study treatment.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Obesity & Overweight, Hair Loss, Metabolomics, Bariatric Surgery. Basic parameters: 21 years — 70 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Singapore
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Scalp Hair Metabolomics as a Novel Biomarker of Poor Metabolic Health in Individuals With Severe Obesity
Overview
The purpose of this research study is to investigate how body weight and weight-loss surgery affect the natural chemicals found in scalp hair over time. We will also find out how common and severe hair thinning/hair loss and muscle loss are in the first 6 months after bariatric surgery.
Detailed description
The investigators will recruit 30 subjects with severe obesity scheduled for bariatric surgery and 30 healthy-weight controls.
Following written informed consent, the investigators will collect the study subject's medical information, conduct a dietary and quality-of-life survey, take body measurements, obtain scalp photos, perform a hair-pull test, collect a hair sample, and conduct muscle strength testing. Controls will be assessed only at baseline. Those with severe obesity will return at 4 ± 2 weeks, 12 ± 4 weeks, and 26 ± 4 weeks following bariatric surgery to repeat the study procedures.
Primary outcome measures
- Amino acid concentration [Time frame: From enrollment to the end of study duration at 6 months]
Secondary outcome measures (5)
- Severity of hair loss [Time frame: From the time of enrolment until the end of the study at 6 months]
- Scalp hair amino acid concentration (between groups) [Time frame: At the time of enrollment]
- Grip strength [Time frame: From enrollment until the end of the study at 6 months]
- Sit to stand speed [Time frame: From enrollment until study completion at 6 months]
- Hair-specific Skindex-29 score [Time frame: From enrollment until study completion at 6 months]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
All subjects:
- Age 21-70 years
- Ability to provide informed consent
Healthy weight controls:
- BMI of 18.5-24.9 kg/m2
- No chronic disease
- No long-term medications
Severe obesity:
- BMI of > 32.5 kg/m2
- Scheduled to undergo bariatric surgery
Exclusion criteria
- Pregnancy
- Any factors likely to limit adherence to study protocol
- Any history of autoimmune or scarring alopecia (eg. alopecia areata, discoid lupus, lichen planopilaris)
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
Study locations
Singapore · 1 center
- Singapore General Hospital — Singapore
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07368842 · SGH_Hair01_2025