The sauna and the risk of cardiovascular disease

Many people like to enjoy hot baths or “warm their bones” in the sauna. This pleasant and relaxing procedure contributes to the cleansing of the body and the acceleration of substances.

But the results of a new study show that the benefits of a sauna are not limited to relaxation and pleasure alone – it also helps to lower the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and even reduce overall mortality.

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A group of scientists from Finland, led by Dr. Jari A. Laukkanen, recently published the results of their study in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Previous studies have also repeatedly established the benefits of the sauna for the good health of the cardiovascular system.

Exposure to the high temperature of the sauna, which is generally recommended to be maintained within 80-100 °C, is associated with improved blood circulation, lower blood pressure and improved heart function.

However, Dr. Laukkanen and his colleagues note that the effect of long-term regular sauna exposure on the risk of sudden cardiac death, fatal ischemic heart disease (CHD) and all-cause mortality – until now almost no has been investigated.

To fill this gap in scientific knowledge, the study authors recruited 2,315 men aged 42-60 years living in eastern Finland who took part in the large Finnish study innish Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. .

At the time the study began – in 1984, all its participants filled out questionnaires, which contained questions about the frequency and length of stay in a sauna, and also about the average temperature in it.

For the studied period – almost 21 years, there were 190 cases of sudden cardiac death, 281 cases of fatal ischemic heart disease, 407 cases of death due to other cardiovascular diseases – the total number of deaths from all these causes was 929.

The authors of the study found that people who visited a sauna 2-3 times a week had a 23% reduction in the risk of sudden cardiac death, a 22% reduction in the likelihood of a fatal CHD exacerbation, a 22% reduction in of the risk due to other cardiovascular diseases by 27% and lowering the risk of all-cause mortality by 24%, compared to men who visited a sauna once a week.

In addition, the scientists found that the duration of the sauna visit also affected the results – men who spent 11-19 minutes in the sauna had a 7% reduction in the risk of sudden cardiac death compared to those whose stay was with a duration of less than 11 minutes.

And those participants who spent more than 19 minutes in the sauna had a 52% lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who spent less than 11 minutes in the sauna.

The scientists point out that their initial results remained the same even after taking into account such cardiovascular risk factors as smoking, high blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood, and other factors that could affect the results.

Commenting on the data they received, the authors of the study indicate:

“From this study, we have solid evidence that regular sauna visits are a way to protect against fatal progression of cardiovascular disease.”