A surprising discovery may offer hope to millions struggling with hair loss—and it doesn’t come in the form of a pill or cream. 

In a study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology, researchers found that deoxyribose, a naturally occurring sugar essential to DNA structure, may help reverse hair loss by stimulating blood vessel growth around hair follicles. 

The discovery came by accident: scientists were originally testing whether the sugar could aid wound healing in mice when they noticed accelerated hair regrowth near the treated areas. When they applied deoxyribose to mice with testosterone-induced balding, the hair began to regrow—at levels comparable to those seen with minoxidil, the active ingredient in Rogaine.

This sugar-based approach could be a game-changer for those with hereditary-patterned baldness, a condition that affects around 40% of the population. Deoxyribose is inexpensive, naturally produced by the body, and chemically stable—making it a strong candidate for future hair loss treatments. While the findings are still in early stages and need further testing, the idea of a safe, drug-free, affordable treatment for hair loss has generated buzz. If further trials confirm these effects in humans, it could mark a turning point in the way we treat one of the most common—and emotionally charged—conditions related to aging and genetics.

source

Frederickson, E. "Stimulation of hair regrowth in an animal model of androgenic alopecia using 2-deoxy-D-ribose" Front. Pharmacol. Vol 15 (2024)