My friends in the north tell me that every winter they make sure to get weekly time in the sauna. Cultures all over the world have been using them for a variety of health reasons for more than a thousand years. But, it seems new research has found yet another health use: to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
Analyzing the medical records of 2,315 healthy men ages 42 to 60, researchers in Finland tracked their health for about 20 years. During that time, 204 cases of dementia and 123 cases of Alzheimer’s disease were diagnosed.
From the article:
“The study, in Age and Ageing, controlled for alcohol intake, smoking, blood pressure, diabetes and other health and behavioral factors. It found that compared with men who used a sauna once a week, those who used a sauna four to seven times a week had a 66 percent lower risk for dementia and a 65 percent lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease.”
Jari Antero Laukkanen, senior author and professor of clinical medicine at the University of Eastern Finland, believes there may be multiple reasons. Taking a sauna can also reduce inflammation, improve vascular function, and even lower blood pressure.
More studies will need to be done but for now, if you have the opportunity to take a sauna. Do it. Your body will thank you for it!
Source: New York Times
