The science
The science of far infrared textiles.
We would rather show you the research than shout at you. Below is what the studies actually measured, what they found, and — honestly — where the evidence is still preliminary. Every study links to the full document so you can read it yourself.
The mechanism
What the material appears to do — and how it was measured.
Far infrared is thought to act on the body through nitric oxide, a signalling molecule involved in vasodilation. One controlled study set out to measure it directly.
Nitric oxide production with MIG3 fabric
UNIFESP — Federal University of São Paulo · IITP
Randomized · controlled · crossover · n = 30 healthy men · salivary nitric oxide (Griess assay)
Salivary nitric oxide was measured higher while volunteers wore MIG3 garments than while wearing a cotton/polyester control (71.7 vs. 47.8), a statistically significant difference.
Limits: Healthy young men; salivary NO is a systemic proxy, not a measure of local tissue; open-label; company-supported. Nitric oxide's role in vasodilation was established by Furchgott and Ignarro (Nobel Prize, 1998).
Read the full study (PDF) →Clinical studies
Randomized, controlled, and registered in Brazil.
Each garment below was tested against a control or placebo, double-blind. We report what the study measured and its limits.
Invel® Actiive Glove — wrist discomfort
Pain Group, Hospital das Clínicas, School of Medicine, USP · IITP
Prospective · double-blind · randomized · placebo-controlled · n = 60 · 28 days
Adults with a chronic wrist condition were randomized to MIG3 gloves or an identical placebo glove. The treatment group showed a larger reduction on the pain scale over time, functionality (DASH) improved, and no clinically significant adverse events were recorded. Registered with ANVISA in Brazil.
Limits: Single center; a specific Brazilian population; a study result is not a promise of any personal outcome.
Invel® Actiive Shirt — the lower back
Pain Group, USP · InfraRedMed (thermography) · IITP
Single-center · double-blind · placebo-controlled · randomized · n = 70 · 14 days · infrared thermography
Adults with chronic low back pain were randomized to a MIG3 shirt or a shirt without the technology. The treatment group reported greater global improvement than placebo, and infrared thermography showed a larger change in the surface perfusion pattern (24% vs. 11%). Registered with ANVISA.
Limits: Small completed sample (~54); short duration; company-supported.
Invel® Actiive Shorts — skin appearance
IITP · independent aesthetic assessment
Controlled aesthetic assessment · shapewear worn over the study window
In the company's shapewear studies, assessors documented changes in the appearance of skin over the study window. The full report describes the method and endpoints.
Limits: Company-sponsored; aesthetic endpoints are subjective; individual results vary.
Beyond our own studies
Independent literature and imaging.
MIG3 fabric in post-polio syndrome
Silva TM, Moreira GA, Tufik S, Oliveira AS, et al. · UNIFESP/EPM · PubMed ID 20069217
Before/after with polysomnography · n = 12 · 4 weeks
Over four weeks of use, the authors reported reduced pain, reduced cold intolerance and a lower periodic limb movement index. This is the most-cited study because it names the MIG3 material and is indexed in PubMed.
Limits: Very small sample; single cohort; no control group.
Full document (PDF) →Infrared thermography of MIG3 garments
Dr. Marcos Leal Brioschi · InfraRedMed — Diagnóstico por Infravermelho
Infrared thermographic imaging of skin surface temperature and perfusion
Thermographic imaging documented changes in surface skin-temperature patterns under MIG3 garments across several reports (shirt, lotion, insole and a vein-focused study).
Limits: Thermography documents surface temperature and perfusion — a physical signal, not a clinical outcome.
Full document (PDF) →For general background on far infrared and its biological effects, see the widely cited review by Vatansever & Hamblin, "Far infrared radiation: its biological effects and medical applications" (open access).
Honest limits
What we still don't know.
Confidence comes from saying this out loud.
Since 2008
A research institute of its own.
The IITP — Instituto Invel de Tecnologia e Pesquisa — brings researchers and health professionals together with Brazilian and international universities. A permanent research structure, not a one-off commissioned study.
The company behind it →