Studying Scalp Hair Chemicals and Health in Adults with Severe Obesity Undergoing Bariatric Surgery Compared to Healthy Weight Adults

What this Trial Is About

This research investigates how body weight and weight-loss surgery affect natural chemicals in scalp hair over time in people with severe obesity. The study also explores how common and severe hair thinning, hair loss, and muscle loss are within the first six months after bariatric surgery. The study will include 30 people with severe obesity scheduled for bariatric surgery and 30 healthy-weight individuals as controls. Participants with severe obesity will be assessed before surgery and again at approximately 4, 12, and 26 weeks after surgery, while healthy controls will be assessed only once at the beginning. Assessments include medical information collection, dietary and quality-of-life surveys, body measurements, scalp photos, hair-pull tests, hair sample collection, and muscle strength tests. Participants will complete various evaluations including grip strength and sit-to-stand speed tests, hair-specific quality-of-life questionnaires, and hair amino acid concentration measurements. The primary outcome is the change in amino acid concentration in hair from enrollment to six months. Secondary outcomes include severity of hair loss and muscle strength changes. The total study duration for those undergoing surgery is six months.

Scalp Hair Metabolomics in Severe Obesity