Men who engaged in frequent sauna use have lower risks of fatal cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality, a new study suggests. The best results came from men who took a steam bath every day and spent more than 19 minutes in the heat.
According to researchers from the University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, the risk of sudden cardiac death was 22 percent lower for men who reported 2 or 3 sauna bathing sessions per week and 63 percent lower for 4 to 7 sauna sessions per week.
The study published in JAMA Internal Medicine shows the risk of fatal coronary heart disease was 23 percent lower for 2 to 3 bathing sessions per week and 48 percent lower for 4 to 7 sauna sessions per week compared to once a week.
The risk of fatal cardiovascular diseases also was 27 percent lower for men who took saunas 2 to 3 times a week and 50 percent lower for men who were in the sauna 4 to 7 times a week compared with men who reported just one sauna bath a week.
In case of all-cause mortality, sauna bathing for 2 to 3 times per week was associated with a 24 percent lower risk and 4 to 7 times per week with a 40 percent reduction in risk compared to only one sauna session per week.
The amount of time spent in the sauna is also important. the risk was 7 percent lower for sauna sessions of 11 to 19 minutes and 52 percent less for sessions lasting more than 19 minutes.
Researchers followed a group of 2,315 middle-aged men (42 to 60 years old) from eastern Finland for 21 years. During this time there were 190 cases of sudden cardiac death, 281 fatal coronary heart diseases, 407 fatal cardiovascular diseases and 929 deaths from all causes. Further studies are needed to establish the links between sauna bathing and cardiovascular health.