More frequent use, longer times per session decrease cardiovascular mortality odds even more
MONDAY, Feb. 23, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Men who use saunas frequently may be less likely to die from heart disease, according to research published online Feb. 23 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The study researchers followed the health of 2,315 middle-aged men from eastern Finland for an average of two decades. The men were between the ages of ages 42 and 60.
The researchers found that risk of sudden cardiac death was 22 percent lower after two to three sauna bathing sessions per week and 63 percent lower with four to seven sauna sessions per week. Risk of fatal cardiovascular disease was 23 percent lower for two to three bathing sessions per week and 48 percent lower for four to seven sauna sessions per week. Risk of death from heart disease or stroke was 27 percent lower for two to three saunas a week and 50 percent lower for four to seven saunas a week. Men who visited the sauna two to three times per week had a 24 percent lower risk of death, while those who went four to seven times per week had a 40 percent reduction compared to only one sauna session per week.
Men’s risk was also lower when they spent longer periods of time in a sauna each session. Compared with men who spent less than 11 minutes in the sauna, the risk of sudden cardiac death was 7 percent lower for sauna sessions of 11 to 19 minutes and 52 percent less for sessions lasting more than 19 minutes, according to the study.
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