If you are an avid sauna enthusiast, know that your cardiovascular health is good for you. In any case, this is the conclusion that emerges from a study conducted by Finnish, American and Italian researchers, published on February 23 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. She found that the sauna reduces the risk of sudden cardiac death by up to 60%.
Before arriving at this conclusion, the researchers evaluated for 21 years the benefits of the sauna on a group of 2300 men aged 42 to 60 years. At the end of the study, they observed that 2 to 3 sauna sessions per week reduced the risk of death by 24% from all causes. Even more surprisingly, men practicing up to 7 sessions per week would be even better protected, and would reduce their risk of sudden cardiac death by 63%. The probability of death from cardiovascular or coronary heart disease also drops by half in these participants.
The researchers found that the more time men spend in the sauna, the more the risk of death from cardiac arrest decreases: when the sessions exceed 19 minutes, the risk of sudden death drops by 52%.
To explain this correlation, the researchers are considering several explanations, while stressing that further studies will be necessary to determine the mechanism involved.
During a sauna session, the heart rate can easily climb to 100 beats per minute, or even to 150 for a more intense session, “which corresponds to a physical activity of low to moderate intensity” specify the authors. The sauna would therefore have the same effects as a session ofphysical exercise, and would therefore result in the same benefits.
“Although we don’t know why men who go to the sauna more regularly enjoy better longevity […], it is clear that the time spent in the sauna is well spent, ”concludes Dr. Rita Redberg, editor-in-chief of the scientific journal JAMA Internal Medicine in her editorial.
It should be noted that a scientific study published in 2013 also underlined that attendance at the sauna decreased the sperm quality, because of the heat. To be avoided if you are trying to have a child.
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