The fear of going bald is something that concerns millions of men around the world.
But if you anxiously check your hairline, there’s finally good news: Scientists have found a potential cure for male pattern baldness.
Researchers from the University of Sheffield and COMSATS University in Pakistan have discovered that a sugar naturally occurring in our bodies can stimulate hair growth in mice.
The sugar, 2-deoxy-D-ribose (2dDR), was as effective at restoring the hair of the balding rodents as the commercially available drug minoxidil, also known as Rogaine.
Professor Sheila MacNeil from the University of Sheffield said: ‘This could provide a new approach to treating this condition, which can affect men’s self-esteem and confidence.’
Baldness affects around half of all men worldwide, including Prince William of Wales (pictured), but scientists now say there may be a cure
The researchers did not originally set out to find a cure for baldness, but wanted to investigate whether the sugar 2dDR could improve wound healing.
When applied to the skin in gel form, sugar causes blood vessels to grow faster. It was hoped that this would help wounds close more quickly.
However, they soon noticed that the mice’s hair grew back much faster in the areas around the wound where the gel had been applied.
Intrigued, the research team decided to conduct an experiment to determine whether 2dDR could have an effect on male pattern baldness.
Mice were treated with testosterone to induce “testosterone-driven hair loss,” which is similar to male pattern baldness in humans.
The mice were then shaved and treated with 2dDR, minoxidil, or a combination of both.
Researchers discovered that a naturally occurring sugar called 2-deoxy-D-ribose can promote hair growth in mice. Mice in columns T3 and T5 were treated with this sugar and saw greatly improved hair growth
This sugar gel promoted 80 to 90 percent of hair growth in mice with male pattern baldness, offering a potential treatment for men like John Travolta (pictured) who suffer from hair loss
The researchers found that after 20 days of treatment, both the sugar gel and minoxidil caused 80 to 90 percent hair growth in mice with male pattern baldness.
However, the combination of the two treatments did not lead to noticeable improvements.
Professor MacNeil said: ‘Our research suggests that the solution to treating hair loss may be as simple as using a naturally occurring deoxyribose sugar to boost blood flow to hair follicles and thus stimulate hair growth.’
Male pattern baldness, or androgenic alopecia, is thought to affect 40 to 50 percent of men worldwide.
The condition is caused by a combination of genetic factors and the amount of sex hormones. This gradually leads to permanent loss of hair follicles on the head.
Other recent research has shown that the body’s “integrated stress response” can lead to slowed hair growth and hair loss.
For example, a hair follicle cell can become stressed as it ages and become less able to produce hair, causing hair growth to slow.
By promoting blood flow to the hair follicles, the researchers found that the sugar gel promoted the growth of both thick and long hair (labeled T-3 and T-5)
Today, bald men like Stanley Tucci (pictured) can use minoxidil or finasteride to treat their hair loss
And if this mechanism becomes overactive, the hair follicle can even die and hair growth stops.
However, Professor MacNeil points out that ‘there are currently only two FDA-approved drugs to treat the disease.’
Patients can use the topical treatment minoxidil, sold as Rogaine, but this treatment can be slow to work and does not work for everyone experiencing hair loss.
People who don’t see improvement with minoxidil can also take the oral drug Finasteride, sold as Propecia, which works by reducing testosterone production.
However, it must be taken continuously once one has started using it. Serious side effects can occur, such as erectile dysfunction, testicular pain, decreased libido, and depression.
The researchers hope their breakthrough with 2dDR sugar gels could provide a safer, natural alternative to these treatments.
The researchers hope their treatment could provide a natural alternative that promotes healthy blood vessel repair (pictured) rather than affecting sex hormones.
The researchers say more research is needed, but the sugar gel could be a cheap, stable and safe way for men like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (pictured) to regrow their lost hair.
The sugar 2dDR occurs naturally in the body as one of the components of the building blocks of our DNA. It helps in the formation of the deoxyribose part of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
Rather than altering the amount of sex hormones as Finasteride does, the treatment simply works by increasing the amount of blood that can reach the hair follicles.
Tests showed that the treatment caused long, thick and healthy hair to grow in the individual hair follicles.
Professor Muhammed Yar from COMSATS University in Pakistan says: ‘This pro-angiogenic deoxyribose sugar is naturally occurring, cheap and stable.
‘Therefore, it is an attractive candidate for further investigation for the treatment of hair loss in men.’