Sauna use linked to longer life for men

MIDDLE-AGED men who take frequent saunas are significantly less likely to die from heart conditions than those who do not, scientists have found.

Those who visited saunas most often – up to once every day – experienced the greatest benefit. Even compared with men who took one sauna a week, their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was 50 per cent lower.

The study was conducted among 2,315 men aged 42 to 60 from eastern Finland, where there is a strong sauna tradition.

Researchers followed their progress for around 21 years, comparing death rates between those who went to the sauna once a week and others who made more frequent visits.

The risk of sudden cardiac death was found to be 22 per cent lower for men who had two to three sauna sessions per week and 63 per cent lower for those visiting a sauna four to seven times a week.

A similar pattern was seen for coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease.

Participants benefited more the longer they spent in the sauna. Compared with men staying hot for less than 11 minutes, those whose sessions lasted 11 to 19 minutes were seven per cent less likely to suffer a sudden cardiac death while more than 19 minutes was associated with a 52 per cent reduced risk.

The research, led by Dr Jari Laukkanen, from the University of Eastern Finland at Kuopio, is reported online in the journal Jama Internal Medicine.

Dr Rita Redberg, from the University of California at San Francisco, the journal’s editor-in-chief, said: “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, the leisure of a life that allows for more relaxation time, or the camaraderie of the sauna), clearly time spent in the sauna is time well spent.”