Our team worked with researchers studying nutrition and women's menstrual health at Cornell University and obtained approval from the Institutional Review Board for Human Participants. We continue to stay up-to-date on the latest research in the women's menstrual health space.
Study Design
This double blind randomized controlled trial compared Cramp Bites to a placebo snack in 12 participants. Participants in the study filled out a questionnaire rating their period cramps before and after eating their designated snack, and we compared the difference in pain levels between the placebo snack and those who were given Cramp Bites.
We tested our product on both types of period cramps: spasmodic and congestive. Congestive cramps are classified as deep, dull aches, and spasmodic cramps are sharp, sporadic pains.
In these box plots, "PL" represents the placebo, and "PS" represents Cramp Bites. A larger width on the box plot demonstrates a larger decrease in participants' pain levels from their questionnaire before versus after consuming their designated snack. The graphs above demonstrate that in this small-scale study, participants who were assigned Cramp Bites saw a greater decrease in their pain levels for both spasmodic and congestive cramps as opposed to participants who were assigned the placebo snack.
While our results are limited, all of the spices we use have had peer-reviewed research discussing how they reduce many of the nutritional deficiencies associated with period cramps (Primary Dysmenorrhea). We are currently working on a literature review to outline these articles for transparency.
Our research was one of twenty research studies selected to present at Cornell University's annual research symposium. This research is what directly led to the development of Cramp Bites.