Natural sugar could 'cure' male pattern baldness, scientists suggest
A sugar that naturally occurs in the body could be an effective ‘cure’ for male pattern baldness, researchers have said.
These findings come after scientists at the University of Sheffield and COMSATS University in Islamabad, Pakistan used the sugar to stimulate hair growth in mice.
They said it could be as effective at regrowing hair as existing hair loss medications.
“Male pattern baldness is such a common condition, affecting men all over the world, but at the moment there are only two FDA licensed drugs to treat it,” Professor Sheila MacNeil, of the University of Sheffield, said.
"Our research suggests that the answer to treating hair loss might be as simple as using a naturally occurring deoxy ribose sugar to boost the blood supply to the hair follicles to encourage hair growth.
“The research we have done is very much in the early stage, but the results are promising and warrant further investigation. This could offer another approach to treating this condition which can affect men’s self-image and confidence.”
Male pattern baldness is also known as androgenic alopecia which affects around 50% of men worldwide.
The scientists discovered that applying a small dose of 2-deoxy-D-ribose (2dDR), a naturally-occuring sugar, could stimulate hair to regrow in mice.
They said that this sugar plays a ‘fundamental role’ in several biological processes in both animals and humans.
The team have spent eight years studying how the sugar can help to heal wounds, and said they decided to see how it affected male pattern baldness after noticing that hair around the healing wounds grew more quickly compared to areas that hadn’t been treated.
Further investigations found that a small dose of 2dDR can help to form new blood vessels, which can stimulate hair growth.
Findings from the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology, show that the sugar is as effective at regrowing hair as Minoxidil – an existing drug used to treat hair loss.
The researchers say the discovery offers a potential alternative approach to stimulating hair growth through a naturally occurring substance.
Professor Muhammed Yar, of COMSATS University, Islamabad, added: “This pro-angiogenic deoxy ribose sugar is naturally occurring, inexpensive and stable and we have shown it can be delivered from a variety of carrier gels or dressings.
"This makes it an attractive candidate to explore further for treatment of hair loss in men.”
Additional reporting by SWNS.
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