Healthy
Conditions
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to explore the positive, holistic health outcomes resulting from regular exposure to naturally occurring compounds predicted to have health benefits. The researchers hope to learn how the human body is influenced by regular exposure to these compounds.
Detailed description
Considerable research has been conducted on the effects of environmental exposure on human diseases. This is also known as exposome research. However, there is limited research on the impact of beneficial exposomes found in the natural environment. The researchers would like to identify and measure the benefits of these naturally occurring compounds on holistic human health. Through blood specimens, the researchers will observe biomarkers such as cortisol levels and inflammatory markers. Data will be collected from wearable sensors to observe the effects of beneficial exposomes on areas such as cardiovascular health and sleep quality. There will be surveys to understand well-being, stress, and mood. Through such observations, this study aims to understand the positive impacts of intentional exposure to selected compounds found in nature.
Interventions
OTHERNatural Compound A (Hinoki essential oil)
Participants will use Natural Compound A in a diffuser every night for 4 weeks. Diffuser will be placed near participant's bed and will be used during the entire time they are asleep (about 8 hours, every night).
OTHERNatural Compound B (Lemon essential oil)
Participants will use Natural Compound B in a diffuser every night for 4 weeks. Diffuser will be placed near participant's bed and will be used during the entire time they are asleep (about 8 hours, every night).
OTHERNatural Compound C (Control/Water)
Participants will use Natural Compound C in a diffuser every night for 4 weeks. Diffuser will be placed near participant's bed and will be used during the entire time they are asleep (about 8 hours, every night).
Sponsors
Stanford University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
All participants will do the intervention but at different times and in different orders.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* 18 years of age and older * Read, speak, and understand English * Live in the US territory
Exclusion criteria
* Mental incapacity and/or cognitive impairment on the part of the patient that would preclude adequate understanding of, or cooperation with, the study protocol * Is pregnant * Is breastfeeding * Has epilepsy * Has allergies to Cupressaceae family of plants, common plants include redwoods, junipers, cypress, cedar, fir, and sequoia
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Resting Heart Rate | Baseline; 26 weeks | Change in resting heart rate measured by wearable devices |
| Heart Rate Variability | Baseline; 26 weeks | Change in resting heart rate measured by wearable devices |
| Change in sleep quality measured as duration of sleep stages | Baseline; 26 weeks | Duration of each sleep stage \[i.e. light, deep, rapid eye movement (REM), wake stages\] overnight. Sleep quality will be measured via a wearable device. Sleep quality will be compared to baseline through the other intervention phases. |
| Profile of Mood States | Baseline; weeks 2, 6, 10, 14, 18, 22, and 26 | Change in mood states, a 65 item scale that allow for the quick assessment of transient, fluctuating feelings and enduring affect states. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Perceived Stress | Baseline; weeks 2, 6, 10, 14, 18, 22, and 26 | Change in perceived stress measured by Perceived Stress Scale-10, a 10-item scale providing a 0-40 point composite score, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress. |
| Generalized Anxiety | Baseline; weeks 2, 6, 10, 14, 18, 22, and 26 | Change in anxiety presence and/or severity measured by Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2, a 2-item scale providing a 0-6 point composite score, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety. |
| Metabolome | Baseline; weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, and 26 | Change in personal metabolic states as measured in microsampling by targeted and untargeted metabolomics-- liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-- compared to baseline through the other intervention phases. Dry blood samples will be collected by microsampling bi-weekly at a consistent time in the morning. Based on those samples, metabolomics (e.g., short-chain fatty acids, amino acids and other polar and nonpolar metabolites) will be extracted and quantified by LC-MS. |
| Inflammation Profile | Baseline; weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, and 26 | Comparison of inflammatory marker changes measured in biospecimens obtained through microsampling against baseline values across various intervention phases. Dry blood samples will be collected by microsampling bi-weekly at a consistent time in the morning. Based on those samples, inflammatory markers will be quantified by targeted 96 Inflammation panel. |
| Depression | Baseline; weeks 2, 6, 10, 14, 18, 22, and 26 | Change in depression presence and/or severity measured by Patient Health Questionnaire-2, a 2-item scale providing a 0-6 point composite score, with higher scores indicating greater severity |
| Proteome | Baseline; weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, and 26 | Comparison of protein changes measured in biospecimens obtained through microsampling against baseline values across various intervention phases. Dry blood samples will be collected by microsampling bi-weekly at a consistent time in the morning. Based on those samples, proteomics will be quantified by proximity extension assay for the cardiometabolic panel. 96 proteins will be measured in the unit of normalized protein expression. |
| Transcriptome | Baseline; weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, and 26 | Change in messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)-based expression measured in biospecimens compared to baseline through the other intervention phases. |
| Well-being | Baseline; weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, and 26 | Change in well-being measured by Five Well-Being index, a 5-item scale providing a 0 - 25 point composite score, with higher scores indicating greater well-being. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
Primary ContactJi Hyun Kim, MS
Backup ContactAllison Zhang, PhD
Outcome results
None listed