Sauna therapy is a game-changer for cardiovascular health - lowers...

Sauna therapy is a game-changer for cardiovascular health
- lowers blood pressure
- lowers arterial stiffness
- lowers inflammation
- improves cardiac function

It appears to even offset the higher risk of all-cause mortality related to lower socioeconomic status, high blood pressure, and high inflammation levels

Science based sauna protocol: youtu.be/SuUORqEv8kI

Graph: PMID: 37270272

Using the sauna >4x a week compared to 2-3x is associated with:
- 63% reduced heart disease mortality
- 50% lower fatal cardiovascular disease
- 46% lower risk of hypertension
- 40% reduced all-cause mortality

PMID: 25705824; PMID: 25705824

Sauna bathing is also associated with a reduced risk of dementia and neurodegeneration (PMID: 33088678)

Those using the sauna 4-7 times a week have a 66% lower risk of dementia and 65% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease compared to doing so once a week (PMID: 27932366)

Those are quite insane numbers, especially given the fact that it’s compared to taking the sauna once a week.

But that's not all...

A 2022 study found that frequent sauna bathing offsets the increased risk of death due to low socioeconomic status (PMID: 35908583)

The study found that men who had low SES and took the sauna ≤2x per week had a higher risk of mortality compared to those with low SES but who went to the sauna ≥3x per week.

Furthermore, a combination of low SES and low-frequency sauna use was linked to a greater risk of all-cause mortality than either factor alone.

In another 2022 study, men with high hs-CRP (>3 mg/L) and who took the sauna ≤ 2x per week had a higher risk of all-cause mortality than men with high hs-CRP but who took the sauna ≥3x per week

On top of that, the risk of all-cause mortality wasn’t much different between men with normal hs-CRP but low sauna frequency and men with high hs-CRP and high sauna frequency.

Inflammation also increases the risk of pneumonia, which is offset by frequent sauna bathing (PMID: 33797457)

Low socioeconomic status increases the risk of pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which has also been seen to be offset by frequent sauna use (PMID: 36541049)

Yet another 2023 study by Dr. Laukkanen showed that frequent sauna bathing (≥3x per week) also attenuates the increased risk of CVD mortality in men with high-normal systolic blood pressure (≥140 mmHg), but not with systolic blood pressure ≥130 mmHg (PMID: 37248758)

Thus, there’s evidence that frequent sauna use appears to offset the higher risk of all-cause mortality related to lower socioeconomic status, high blood pressure, and high inflammation levels

But that's not all...

We know that exercise is good for longevity, but combining exercise with a sauna can give even greater benefits

A 2022 RCT saw that exercise combined with sauna lowered systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and increased VO2 max more than exercise alone (PMID: 35785965)

Based on the research I’ve just outlined, taking the sauna ≥4 times per week for 15-30 minutes per session at 70-80°C (156-176°F) yields the maximum reduction

Higher temps might not be optimal as ≥100°C (212°F) are linked to a small but significantly higher risk of dementia

Although there's a limited amount of randomized controlled trials on sauna, the growing amount of evidence is still quite compelling

First, sauna appears to offset socioeconomic status, which could mediate the risk reduction, as wealthier people might do the sauna more often. However, based on the studies, frequent sauna use appears to offset low socioeconomic status

Secondly, most of these studies are done in Finland, where the sauna is a big part of the culture

There are 3 million saunas in Finland out of a population of 5.5 million

Saunas are everywhere,e and they're very publicly accessible to pretty much everyone

Third, using the sauna isn't exclusive to a healthy lifestyle in Finland or other Nordic countries. Regular people take the sauna, and it's very common to drink alcohol, etc, in the sauna.

So, it's not that healthier people do the sauna more often as your one pack a day smoking and 6 pack per week uncle is as likely to go to the sauna because it's a massive cultural pride and relic

I've already been taking the sauna since I was a kid, but going through the evidence, I'm even more bullish on the sauna than ever before and will aim for at least 4 sessions of 20-30 min per week

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