by Sarah Wickline Wallan from MedPage Today
Visits to a dry sauna and the length of those visits were associated with a lower risk of death from sudden cardiac arrest, coronary heart disease (CHD), cardiovascular disease, and even all-cause mortality in a group of Finnish men, Jari A. Laukkanen, MD, PhD, of the University of Eastern Finland, and colleagues reported in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Over the course of the study, 49% of men who visited the sauna once per week died. Among men who went 2-3 times per week, 38%, and they had a 24% lower risk of death compared to men who only went once per week. Only 31% of men who visited a sauna 4 or more times per week died, and they had a 40% risk reduction compared to those who went once a week. More than 19 minutes in the sauna reduced all-cause mortality by 52% compared to less than 11 minutes in the sauna.
“Although we do not know why the men who took saunas more frequently had greater longevity (whether it is the time spent in the hot room, the relaxation time, or the camaraderie of the sauna), clearly time spent in the sauna is time well spent,” Redberg concluded. Reviewed and posted by Dr. Russell
