Regular sauna bathing may protect men from dementia

A study from the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) has proven that frequent sauna bathing can reduce the risk of dementia.
In this study, which was conducted with 2000 men and followed up for 20 years, men who went to the sauna 4-7 times a week had a 66% lower risk of developing dementia than men who went to the sauna only once a week. This is a correlation that has never been made or studied before.
The Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD), published back in 2016, examined the effects of sauna bathing on the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.
The result was that the more often the person went to a sauna, the lower the risk for each form of dementia. Those who saunted 4-7 times a week had a 66% lower risk of any form of dementia and a 65% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease than those who saunted only once a week.
Earlier results from the KIHD study showed that frequent sauna bathing also significantly reduced the risk of sudden cardiac death, the risk of death from coronary heart disease and other cardiac events, and overall mortality. According to Professor Jari Laukkanen, the leader of the study, sauna bathing may protect both the heart and memory to some extent through similar mechanisms that are still poorly understood. “However, it is known that cardiovascular health also affects the brain. The sense of well-being and relaxation experienced while taking a sauna may also play a role.”

Source: University of Eastern Finland. “Frequent sauna bathing may protect men against dementia, Finnish study suggests.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 16 December 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161216114143.htm>.

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