Standalone sauna vs exercise followed by sauna on cardiovascular function in non‐naïve sauna users: A comparison of acute effects

Background and aimsSauna bathing and aerobic exercise have each been shown to affect cardiovascular function. However, direct comparisons between standalone sauna bathing and a combination of exercise and sauna on vascular indices remain limited. Therefore, we conducted a cross-over study using matched durations to explore the hemodynamic changes of sauna exposure when compared to a combination of aerobic exercise and sauna exposure.MethodsParticipants (N = 72) with at least one cardiovascular risk factor underwent, on two separate occasions: (a) a 30-minute sauna at 75°C (SAUNA) and (b) the combination of a 15-minute cycling exercise at 75% maximum heart rate followed by 15-minute sauna ex…

Acute effects of exercise and sauna as a single intervention on arterial compliance

Sauna bathing is associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality and improves risk prediction in men and women: a prospective cohort study.

Background Previous evidence indicates that sauna bathing is related to a reduced risk of fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in men. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between sauna habits and CVD mortality in men and women, and whether adding information on sauna habits to conventional cardiovascular risk factors is associated with improvement in prediction of CVD mortality risk. Methods Sauna bathing habits were assessed at baseline in a sample of 1688 participants (mean age 63; range 53–74 years), of whom 51.4% were women. Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated to investigate the relationships of frequency and duration of sauna use with C…

Underweight and obesity are related to higher mortality in patients undergoing coronary angiography: The KARDIO invasive cardiology register study

Background: In patients with some cardiovascular disease conditions, slightly elevated body mass index (BMI) is associated with a lower mortality risk (termed “obesity paradox”). It is uncertain, however, if this obesity paradox exists in patients who have had invasive cardiology procedures. We evaluated the association between BMI and mortality in patients who underwent coronary angiography. Methods: We utilised the KARDIO registry, which comprised data on demographics, prevalent diseases, risk factors, coronary angiographies, and interventions on 42,636 patients. BMI was categorised based on WHO cut-offs or transformed using P-splines. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI…

Sauna bathing reduces the risk of stroke in Finnish men and women : A prospective cohort study

ObjectiveTo assess the association between frequency of sauna bathing and risk of future stroke.MethodsBaseline habits of sauna bathing were assessed in 1,628 adult men and women aged 53–74 years (mean age, 62.7 years) without a known history of stroke in the Finnish Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease prospective cohort study. Three sauna bathing frequency groups were defined: 1, 2–3, and 4–7 sessions per week. Hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) were estimated for incident stroke.ResultsDuring a median follow-up of 14.9 years, 155 incident stroke events were recorded. Compared with participants who had one sauna bathing session per week, the age- and sex-adjusted HR (95% CI) fo…

Acute effects of exercise and sauna as a single intervention on arterial compliance

Short-term effects of Finnish sauna bathing on blood-based markers of cardiovascular function in non-naive sauna users

Emerging evidence suggests that sauna bathing is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events. However, the biochemical pathways by which sauna bathing might confer its effects on cardiovascular function are not certain. We aimed to study the acute effects of Finnish sauna bathing on various blood-based cardiovascular biomarkers. The study included 102 non-naive sauna users (54% male) with mean age of 51.9 years, who had at least one cardiovascular risk factor. Participants underwent a 30-min single sauna session (mean temperature, 73 °C). Biochemical profiling was conducted before, immediately after sauna and 30-min post-sauna. Overall median N-terminal pro…

Recovery from sauna bathing favorably modulates cardiac autonomic nervous system

Objective: Sauna bathing is becoming a common activity in many countries and it has been linked to favorable health outcomes. However, there is limited data on the heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) responses to an acute sauna exposure. Design: We conducted a single-group, longitudinal study utilizing a pre-post design to examine acute effects of sauna bathing on the autonomic nervous system as reflected by HRV. A total of 93 participants (mean [SD] age: 52.0 [8.8] years, 53.8% males) with cardiovascular risk factors were exposed to a single sauna session (duration: 30 min; temperature: 73 °C; humidity: 10–20%) and data on HRV variables were collected before, during and after …

Prognostic Relevance of Cardiorespiratory Fitness as Assessed by Submaximal Exercise Testing for All-Cause Mortality: A UK Biobank Prospective Study

Objective: To investigate if the inverse associations of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in the general population vary among individuals who are at different pre-test risk. Patients and Methods: CRF was assessed through submaximal bike tests in 58,892 participants aged 40-69 years who completed baseline questionnaires between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2010 in the UK Biobank study. Participants were categorized into risk categories, which determined allocation to an individualized bike protocol. These were “minimal risk (1)”, “small risk (2)” and “medium risk (3)” groups (i.e., those who cycled at 50%, 35% of predicted maximal workload and …

Sauna exposure leads to improved arterial compliance: Findings from a non-randomised experimental study.

Background Heat therapy has been suggested to improve cardiovascular function. However, the effects of hot sauna exposure on arterial compliance and the dynamics of blood flow and pressure have not been well documented. Thus, we investigated the short-term effects of sauna bathing on arterial stiffness and haemodynamics. Design The design was an experimental non-randomised study. Methods There were 102 asymptomatic participants (mean age, 51.9 years) who had at least one cardiovascular risk factor. Participants were exposed to a single sauna session (duration: 30 min; temperature: 73℃; humidity: 10–20%). Pulse wave velocity, augmentation index, heart rate, blood pressure, mean arterial pres…

The Duke treadmill score with bicycle ergometer: Exercise capacity is the most important predictor of cardiovascular mortality

Background The Duke treadmill score, a widely used treadmill testing tool, is a weighted index combining exercise time or capacity, maximum ST-segment deviation and exercise-induced angina. No previous studies have investigated whether the Duke treadmill score and its individual components based on bicycle exercise testing predict cardiovascular death. Design Two populations with a standard bicycle testing were used: 3936 patients referred for exercise testing (2371 men, age 56 ± 13 years) from the Finnish Cardiovascular Study (FINCAVAS) and a population-based sample of 2683 men (age 53 ± 5.1 years) from the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease study (KIHD). Methods Cox regression was applied for…