Menthol Stimulation of Brown Adipose Tissue in Humans: Aim 1

Conditions

• Regulation of Energy Expenditure

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

18 Years - 40 Years

Healthy Volunteers

Accepted

Interventions

• Menthol Gel — DRUG
  Menthol (5% L-menthol) will be applied to the anterior thorax.
• Sham — DRUG
  Sham gel applied to the anterior thorax.
• Time control — BEHAVIORAL
  No gel applied to anterior thorax.

Study Details

Brown adipose tissue becomes activated during cold conditions to increase thermogenesis (i.e., energy expenditure). Topical menthol application increases resting energy expenditure but it is unclear whether brown adipose tissue activation contributes to this rise in the energy expenditure. The overall goal with this project is to determine whether topical menthol application stimulates brown adipose tissue.

Key Dates

Start date

Mar 27, 2025

Status verified

Jun 2025

Primary completion

Mar 31, 2026

Completion

Sep 30, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment

24 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Arms

• Experimental: Menthol
  Menthol (5% L-menthol) applied to the anterior upper body, excluding the arms, head, and neck.
• Sham Comparator: Sham
  A sham cream applied to the anterior upper body, excluding the arms, head, and neck.
• Other: Time control
  No cream applied to the anterior upper body.

Primary Outcome Measure

Resting energy expenditure [ Time Frame: from prior to the interventions to 1 hour and 2 hours post gel application ]

Central Contacts

• Felipe Pereira, MS
  812-855-8699
  [email protected]

Locations (1)

Find similar trials in Bloomington, IN