NCT07503977

Acute Physiological Effects of Full-Body Far-Infrared Emitting Textiles on Young Road Cyclists

Acute Physiological Effects of Full-Body Far-Infrared Emitting Textiles on Body Temperature, Heart Rate, Power Output, Oxygen Consumption, Hydration, Perceived Comfort, and Hematological Parameters in Young Road Cyclists

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 9 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Palermo · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 16 Years – 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Road cycling is a sport characterized by long, high-intensity training sessions. Cyclists train and compete in varying temperatures, which can affect their performance. Therefore, thermoregulation is a fundamental capacity in endurance sports such as cycling. Far-infrared (FIR) emitting fibers have recently been used in garments during and after exercise to modulate thermoregulation and enhance muscle recovery. Every competitive cyclist voluntarily underwent testing at a temperature-controlled laboratory after reading and signing the informed consent document. Participants were invited to three separate sessions at the laboratory. During the first session, essential personal information (name, surname, sex, age, height and weight) was recorded. In addition, an incremental test was performed on a cycle ergometer to measure VO2Max and ventilatory threshold 1 (VT1). Subsequently, they were randomly divided into two conditions: an experimental garment (EG) with FIR and a control garment (CG). Each test session consisted of 40 minutes at VT1, followed by a 5-second sprint at the end. During the test, various physiological parameters were assessed: Oxygen consumption (VO2), heart rate (HR), blood lactate, body temperature (skin and core temperature), and sensations of exertion and sweating.

Conditions

• Athletes
• Cyclists

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	FIR	FIR is a passive emitter composed of textile fibers integrated with bioceramics and light-emitting minerals.
DEVICE	Placebo	a similar-looking suit but without FIR

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-04-15
• Primary completion: 2025-06-25
• Completion: 2025-06-25
• First posted: 2026-03-31
• Last updated: 2026-03-31

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Italy