NEW DELHI:
A new study has found that frequent sauna bathing can significantly reduce risk of dementia, especially in elderly men. The study was carried out at the University of Eastern Finland, which suggested that men taking sauna 4-7 times a week were 66 per cent less likely to be diagnosed with dementia than those taking a sauna once a week.
According to researchers, association between sauna bathing and dementia risk has not been previously investigated. Effects of sauna-bathing on the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia were studied in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD), involving more than 2,000 middle-aged men living in the eastern part of Finland.
Researchers divided the participants into three groups, based on their sauna-bathing habits: those taking a sauna once a week, those taking a sauna 23 times a week, and those taking a sauna 4?7 times a week.
It was found that the more frequently saunas were taken, the lower was the risk of dementia. Among those taking a sauna 47 times a week, the risk of any form of dementia was 66 per cent lower and the risk of Alzheimer's disease 65 per cent lower than among those taking a sauna just once a week.
Previously conducted studies have shown that frequent sauna bathing also significantly reduces the risk of sudden cardiac death, the risk of death due to coronary artery disease and other cardiac events, as well as overall mortality.
With inputs rom PTI
