Turn up the heat and enjoy that sauna, guys. It may help you fend off dementia or Alzheimer's disease, according to the results of a recent study.
In a 20-year follow-up study from the University of Eastern Finland, men who frequented a sauna four to seven times weekly were 66% less likely to develop dementia and 65% less likely to get Alzheimer's disease than those who spent time in the sauna only once a week.
The Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study tracked more than 2,000 middle-aged men from eastern Finland. Participants were broken into three categories: those who sauna bathed once a week, those who spent time in the sauna two to three times a week and those who went to a sauna four to seven times a week. Frequency of sauna bathing had an inverse relationship with risk of dementia, the study found.
The study's results previously showed that frequent sauna bathing could also reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death, as well as overall mortality.
The reasons for sauna bathing's health benefits are still unknown, according to Professor Jari Laukkanen, the study's leader.
