The effects of far-infrared emitting textiles on sleep quality, blood vessel function, and exercise performance

以下拨款申请旨在支持英属哥伦比亚大学Philip Ainslie教授与加拿大服装和鞋类零售商Mark's Work Wearhouse （MWW）的合作。我们的目的是评估远红外（FIR）发射纺织材料对人体的生理效应。最近的人体研究表明，FIR纺织品可以改善睡眠质量，血管功能和运动表现。我们的研究目的是进行一系列复杂的生理实验，以验证他们的新产品设计，并确定MWW的新FIR服装系列的生理效益。拟议项目的研究将在Ainslie教授位于加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省基洛纳的实验室进行。在那里，他高素质的研究团队（一名博士后、两名博士生、一名硕士研究生和一名研究助理）将使用黄金标准的设备和实验技术，对一组睡眠不足和非睡眠不足的人（每组20人）进行睡眠质量、血管功能和运动表现的测量。为了深入了解一些细胞机制，可能负责firs相关的生理益处，我们还将获得静脉血样本，以评估炎症和一氧化氮可用性的标志物。每组参与者将被要求以随机的方式穿三套衣服（假的；1%的FIR技术；和2%的FIR技术）几个晚上。在穿上每一套衣服一周后，参与者将在Ainslie教授的实验室进行一系列实验。这一系列实验的结果将提高我们对睡眠质量、血管功能和运动表现相关机制的基本理解。本次研究合作将直接受益于MWW: 1)评估两种FIR技术浓度（1% vs 2%）的性能，2)全面评估其产品在人体中的生理效益，3)通过与产品舒适性和契合度相关的几份问卷验证其产品的设计，提出的一系列研究对加拿大具有很高的科学和经济效益潜力。

The following grant application is to support a collaboration between Prof. Philip Ainslie from the University of British Columbia and Mark's Work Wearhouse (MWW), a Canadian clothing and footwear retailer. Our aim is to evaluate the physiological effects of far-infrared (FIR) emitting textile material on the human body. Recent human studies suggest that FIR textiles may improve sleep quality, blood vessel function, and exercise performance. Our research objective is to conduct a series of sophisticated physiology experiments to verify the design of their new product, and to determine the physiological benefits of MWW's new FIR clothing line. The research for the proposed project will be conducted in Prof. Ainslie's laboratory in Kelowna, BC, Canada. There, his highly qualified research team (one post-doctoral fellow; two PhD students; one MSc student, and; one research assistant) will use gold-standard equipment and experimental techniques to measure sleep quality, blood vessel function, and exercise performance in a group of sleep and non-sleep deprived individuals (n=20 each group). In order to gain insight on some of the cellular mechanism(s) that may be responsible for FIR-related physiological benefits, we will also obtain venous blood samples to assess markers of inflammation and nitric oxide availability. Each group of participants will be required to wear three sets of clothing in a randomized fashion (sham; 1% FIR technology; and 2% FIR technology) for several nights. After wearing each set of clothing for one-week, participants will undergo a series of experiments in Prof. Ainslie's laboratory. The results from the proposed series of experiments will improve our fundamental understanding of the mechanism(s) associated with sleep quality, blood vessel function, and exercise performance. This research collaboration will directly benefit MWW by: 1) evaluating the performance of two concentrations of FIR technology (1% vs 2%), 2) comprehensively evaluating the physiological benefits of their product in humans, and 3) verifying the design of their product through several questionnaires related to product comfort and fit, The proposed series of studies has both high potential for scientific and economic benefits for Canada.