The one published study
“Nurses’ foot health: perception, behavior, and analysis of the cardiovascular effects of different types of hosiery” — Weng, Weng & Lin, Health Technology, 2024 (open access, doi:10.21037/ht-24-1).
What the researchers did
- Surveyed and interviewed 50 female nurses at a Taipei hospital about foot health and hosiery. Most chose compression stockings, and many found them tight or uncomfortable.
- Measured blood-pressure-related values with pulse-wave analysis in 44 of those nurses: bare-legged baseline, then while wearing functional stockings (Nefful NEORON), then compression stockings.
What they reported
Some measurements differed slightly from baseline while the nurses wore functional stockings, and a different set of measurements differed with compression stockings. The authors’ own conclusion is cautious: nurses without varicose veins who dislike compression stockings may find comfortable functional stockings are an alternative. They describe the mechanism as unclear and call for further research.
What this study does not show. That these socks lower blood pressure in everyday life, help any heart or circulation condition, or work for men, older people or anyone with a health condition. Don’t buy socks as a treatment on the strength of it.
Limits worth knowing
- Small: 44 participants, all women, one hospital, a convenience sample.
- Short-term: measurements were taken after wearing the stockings for 20–30 minutes.
- No sham or blinded comparison, so expectation effects can’t be ruled out.
- Differences were small, a few mmHg, and some were borderline after correcting for multiple comparisons.
- The paper doesn’t investigate negative ions at all.
The maker’s claims, side by side with the evidence
| Claim (Nefful catalogue) | What we found | Our position |
|---|---|---|
| Doesn’t absorb water; dries quickly | PVC fibre has ~0% moisture regain (independent reference). Nefful’s own Byreck test shows the same. | Reasonable to say |
| Generates negative static electricity when rubbed | PVC sits at the negative end of the triboelectric series, so this is ordinary physics. It isn’t unique to this fibre, and charge on a worn sock may leak away through skin and sweat. | True, with caveats |
| Produces “negative ions” (3,471/cc average) | The catalogue cites JIS L 1094, which measures fabric static charge, not air ions. The figure is from the company’s own chamber test. We found no independent measurement of ions from a worn sock. | Manufacturer’s claim, unverified |
| Health benefits from negative ions | Evidence for health effects of negative ions is mixed and mostly tied to powered generators at far higher densities. No trial shows clothing giving a benefit via ions. | We don’t claim this |
| Warmth retention | Plausible for the fibre; from Nefful’s test. Less relevant in Malaysia’s heat, more in cold, air-conditioned rooms. | Modest, comfort-level |
| Flame retardancy | PVC is inherently flame-resistant. The approval cited covers Nefful’s bedsheets and blankets, not socks. | Not a sock claim |
Want the wider picture on negative ions — the studies that support them, the ones that don’t, and the safety issues? Read our independent guide →