Effects of regular sauna bathing in conjunction with exercise on cardiovascular function: a multi-arm, randomized controlled trial.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual multi-arm randomized controlled trial
PubMed 35785965 · doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00076.2022
What was done
Forty-seven adults aged 49 ± 9 years with low physical activity and at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor were randomized (1:1:1) to an 8-week intervention of: guideline-based regular exercise plus 15-minute post-exercise sauna (EXS), guideline-based regular exercise alone (EXE), or control (CON). Primary outcomes were blood pressure and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Secondary outcomes were fat mass, total cholesterol, and arterial stiffness.
What was found
Compared with CON, EXE increased CRF (+6.2 mL/kg/min; 95% CI, +4.2 to +8.3 mL/kg/min) and fat mass (direction noted without values) but showed no blood pressure differences. Compared with EXE, EXS demonstrated a greater increase in CRF (+2.7 mL/kg/min; 95% CI, +0.2 to +5.3 mL/kg/min), a larger reduction in systolic blood pressure (-8.0 mmHg; 95% CI, -14.6 to -1.4 mmHg), and lower total cholesterol. Numeric values were not reported in the abstract for fat mass, cholesterol, or arterial stiffness.
Why it matters
Post-exercise sauna bathing may be an effective adjunct to exercise training for enhancing cardiorespiratory fitness and lowering systolic blood pressure in sedentary adults with cardiovascular risk factors.
Limits
The sample size was small (n = 47 across three arms), the intervention lasted only 8 weeks, and clinical cardiovascular event outcomes were not evaluated. Numeric data for several secondary outcomes were omitted from the abstract.
Cited by
- supports A randomized trial by Dr. Jari Laukkanen showed that adding a 15-minute sauna session (175–179°F) after stationary cycling improved cardiorespiratory fitness, blood pressure, and lipid biomarkers significantly more than cycling alone.