Regular trips to the sauna may reduce the risk of death from heart disease in middle-aged people, a study has found.
Between four and seven sauna sessions a week provide the greatest health benefit, according to researchers.
Sessions in the sweltering heat are thought to mimic the effects of mild physical exercise – boosting the heart. The study in Finland, where going to the sauna is far more common than the UK, investigated links with cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is one of the main causes of death among Britons.
People who attended four to seven sauna sessions a week had around a quarter the chance of heart death compared to those who went to just one
Researchers kept track of the sauna habits of 1,688 men and women over-50 and followed up on their health after 15 years. MORE