A claim you hear on longevity podcasts
The claim checked: Men who sauna a few times a week have up to 20% less heart disease Hear it at 1:04:46
All four studies come from one Finnish cohort. Each linked more frequent sauna use to lower cardiovascular risk, mostly in middle-aged men.
Computed from 4 studies that test this point, each judged by two readers, in full. 1 more study is waiting for a full read and does not count yet.
“there's absolutely no doubt that men who partake in sauna bathing a few times a week often at home because they build this into their houses have a dramatic reduction up to 20 percent in the rate of cardiovascular disease and mortality caused by heart attacks”
other primary study · 2015 · cited on tape
“Increased frequency of sauna bathing is associated with a reduced risk of SCD, CHD, CVD, and all-cause mortality.”
Association between sauna bathing and fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events. JAMA Intern Med
Who: Population-based sample of middle-aged men (42-60 years) from Eastern Finland (KIHD study)
PMID 25705824
other primary study · 2018
“A higher frequency of sauna bathing sessions per week was related to a decreased risk of fatal CVD events independent of conventional cardiovascular risk factors as well as several other potential confounders.”
Sauna bathing is associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality and improves risk prediction in men and women: a prospective cohort study. BMC Med
Who: 1,688 Finnish men and women (821 men) aged 53-74 from the KIHD cohort
PMID 30486813
other primary study · 2023
“The overall findings suggest that frequent sauna baths may offset the increased risk of CVD mortality in men with high-normal SBP (defined as ≥130 mmHg) but not elevated SBP (defined as ≥140 mmHg).”
The Interplay between Systolic Blood Pressure, Sauna Bathing, and Cardiovascular Mortality in Middle-Aged and Older Finnish Men: A Cohort Study. J Nutr Health Aging
Who: Middle-aged to older Finnish men aged 42-61 at baseline (mean 53) from the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease (KIHD) cohort
PMID 37248758
trial or observed group · 2018
“Comparing high vs low FSB, the corresponding HR was 0.67 (0.46–0.98).”
Combined Effect of Sauna Bathing and Cardiorespiratory Fitness on the Risk of Sudden Cardiac Deaths in Caucasian Men: A Long-term Prospective Cohort Study. Prog Cardiovasc Dis
Who: Men aged 42-61 years at recruitment in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease prospective cohort, eastern Finland
PMID 29551418
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