Actively Recruiting
Scalp Hair Metabolomics as a Novel Biomarker of Poor Metabolic Health in Individuals With Severe Obesity
Led by Singapore General Hospital · Updated on 2026-02-13
60
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
N/A
Total Duration
On this page
AI-Summary
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.
CONDITIONS
Brief Title
Scalp Hair Metabolomics in Severe Obesity
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Age 21 to 70 years
- Ability to provide informed consent
- For healthy weight controls: BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2
- For healthy weight controls: No chronic disease
- For healthy weight controls: No long-term medications
- For severe obesity group: BMI greater than 32.5 kg/m2
- For severe obesity group: Scheduled to undergo bariatric surgery
You will not qualify if you...
- Pregnancy
- Any factors likely to limit adherence to the study protocol
- History of autoimmune or scarring alopecia such as alopecia areata, discoid lupus, or lichen planopilaris
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility
Your Study Journey
Duration - 2 to 4 weeks
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial.
1 visit (in-person) for consent and baseline assessments
Duration - 1 day
Participants undergo baseline assessments including medical information collection, dietary and quality-of-life surveys, body measurements, scalp photos, hair-pull test, hair sample collection, and muscle strength testing.
1 visit (in-person) at enrollment
Duration - Up to 26 ± 4 weeks after surgery
Participants with severe obesity return for follow-up assessments repeating baseline procedures at multiple time points after bariatric surgery.
3 visits (in-person) approximately at 4 ± 2 weeks, 12 ± 4 weeks, and 26 ± 4 weeks post-surgery
Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
Singapore General Hospital
Singapore, Singapore
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
H
Hong Chang Tan, MD PhD
How is the study designed?
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Masking
N/A
Allocation
N/A
Model
N/A
Primary Purpose
N/A
Number of Arms
2
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