Scientists Say a Chemical in McDonald’s Fries Could Be the Cure for Baldness

It is no secret that McDonald’s fries are loaded with a wide range of different chemicals, but according to a team of researchers from Japan, one of those chemicals may actually be the key to curing baldness. A group of stem cell scientists from Yokohama National University used the chemical dimethylpolysiloxane to regrow hair on mice. Dimethylpolysiloxane is a silicone substance that prevents oil from frothing while cooking fries. Researchers have even been successful using the same method on human skin cells.

According to the study published in the Biomaterials journal last week, researchers were able to grow hair at the cellular level by creating hair follicle germs (HFGs).

“The therapy involves regenerating hair follicles, the tiny organs that grow and sustain hair. One of the more challenging obstacles to hair regenerative medicine has been the preparation of hair follicle germs, the reproductive source of hair follicles, on a large scale,” the introduction of the study reads.

Professor Junji Fukuda, one of the researchers on the team, says that this is a simple technique that could revolutionize the hair loss industry. He explained:

“The key for the mass production of HFGs was a choice of substrate materials for the culture vessel. We used oxygen-permeable dimethylpolysiloxane (PDMS) at the bottom of culture vessel, and it worked very well. This simple method is very robust and promising. We hope this technique will improve human hair regenerative therapy to treat hair loss such as androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness). In fact, we have preliminary data that suggests human HFG formation using human keratinocytes and dermal papilla cells.”

The photo below, released along with the study, shows how this new technology works. An unsettling photo of the hair grown on one test subject was also released.

McDonald’s fries are packed with harmful chemicals, many of which are carcinogenic. McDonald’s released the following list in 2015 after being questioned about ingredients, but some activists say that a few chemicals are missing. Regardless, the list in its current form contains a number of questionable substances:

Interestingly enough, in the UK, where McDonald’s also sells fries, there are only 5 ingredients used in the production process.

Last year, The Mind Unleashed reported on a study conducted by researchers at London Metropolitan University, which found that touchscreens used by customers at multiple McDonald’s locations were covered in fecal bacteria. The company has continued to see losses over the years, as their reputation and public image falls apart.