Short-term effects of Finnish sauna bathing on blood-based markers of cardiovascular function in non-naive sauna users
Kunutsor SK, Häkkinen A, Zaccardi F, Laukkanen T, Lee E, Willeit P, Khan H, Laukkanen JA
Heart and vessels · 10 citations
How it was studied
- Design
- Controlled clinical trial (classified by our AI screen)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
- Government
- Tekes
Based on 1 listed funder(s) and full-text disclosure statement.
Publication
- Published
- 2018-07-03 · Heart Vessels · vol. 33 · issue 12 · pp. 1515–1524
- Publisher
- Springer Science+Business Media
- Cited
- 14 citations · more than 70% of similar papers · 0.8× the field average
- References
- 54 works
- Access
- Open access (hybrid journal) · CC-BY
- Research areas
- Thermoregulation and physiological responses · Muscle metabolism and nutrition · Exercise and Physiological Responses
- Keywords
- Medicine, Creatine kinase, Internal medicine, Cardiology, Natriuretic peptide, Heart failure
- MeSH
- humans, cardiovascular diseases, natriuretic peptide, brain, c-reactive protein, steam bath, incidence, retrospective studies, follow-up studies, risk reduction behavior, middle aged, finland, female, male, biomarkers
8 authors
From GB, FI, AT, US
- Setor K. KunutsorUniversity Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust; Southmead Hospital; National Institute for Health and Care Research; University of Bristol
- ARJA H. HÄKKINENUniversity of Jyväskylä
- Francesco ZaccardiUniversity of Leicester; Leicester General Hospital
- Tanjaniina LaukkanenUniversity of Eastern Finland
- Earric LeeUniversity of Jyväskylä
- Peter WilleitInnsbruck Medical University; University of Cambridge
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that sauna bathing is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events. However, the biochemical pathways by which sauna bathing might confer its effects on cardiovascular function are not certain. We aimed to study the acute effects of Finnish sauna bathing on various blood-based cardiovascular biomarkers. The study included 102 non-naive sauna users (54% male) with mean age of 51.9 years, who had at least one cardiovascular risk factor. Participants underwent a 30-min single sauna session (mean temperature, 73 °C). Biochemical profiling was conducted before, immediately after sauna and 30-min post-sauna. Overall median N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level (n = 20 participants) was 46.0 ng/L before sauna exposure, which increased to 50.5 ng/l immediately after sauna (median change, + 12.00%; p < 0.001) and remained persistent at 30-min post-sauna (median change from pre-sauna to post-30-min sauna, + 13.93%; p < 0.001). The changes were more evident in males compared with females. There were no significant changes in overall levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein, creatine kinase, high sensitivity troponin I, and creatine kinase-MBm. However, levels of creatine kinase increased in males (median change immediately after sauna, + 2.99%; p = 0.024). Levels of NT-proBNP increased after sauna exposure. The increase in levels of creatine kinase was more evident in males. Long-term interventional studies are warranted to evaluate if these biomarkers are involved in pathways underlying the associations of sauna bathing with cardiovascular outcomes.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY).
Community trust
Loading…
How much do you trust this study's findings?
Comments
Sign in to rate, comment on or flag this study.Sign inSomething wrong here?
Flag this study if its information, labels or funding look wrong. An editor reviews every flag.
Sign in to rate, comment on or flag this study.Sign inEducational information about published research. Not medical advice, and not a recommendation to start or stop anything.