Scientists at Brigham Young University in Utah have found that sauna heat therapy lowers blood pressure in middle-aged people. The researchers will present their work at the American Physiology Summit.
The new study was based on the findings of scientists in Finland who found that people who frequent the sauna for at least 19 minutes were less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those who did not.
The new study included 10 men and women ages 18 to 30 and eight men and women ages 50 to 64. Participants endured two 20-minute sauna sessions at 80 degrees Celsius each.
No adverse effects were observed among the participants. All participants had lowered blood pressure. In addition, the physiological response to a visit to the sauna was the same in young and middle-aged subjects. The results mean that it is possible to achieve the positive effects of the sauna without prolonged exposure to heat.