Increased sauna use associated with less AD & Dementia in large, 20y study

Alzheimer's, cardiovascular, and other chronic diseases; biomarkers, lifestyle, supplements, drugs, and health care.
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thumperama
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Increased sauna use associated with less AD & Dementia in large, 20y study

Post by thumperama »

I have contacted the author to get full text and/or insight into control for ApoE status.

Sauna bathing is inversely associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease in middle-aged Finnish men
Age & Aging
December 7, 2016
http://m.ageing.oxfordjournals.org/cont ... 2.abstract

Abstract

Background there are no previous studies linking repeated heat exposure of sauna and the risk of memory diseases. We aimed to investigate whether frequency of sauna bathing is associated with risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Setting prospective population-based study.

Methods the frequency of sauna bathing was assessed at baseline in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease population-based prospective cohort study of 2,315 apparently healthy men aged 42–60 years at baseline, with baseline examinations conducted between 1984 and 1989. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for dementia and Alzheimer's disease were ascertained using Cox-regression modelling with adjustment for potential confounders.

Results during a median follow-up of 20.7 (interquartile range 18.1–22.6) years, a total of 204 and 123 diagnosed cases of dementia and Alzheimer's disease were respectively recorded. In analysis adjusted for age, alcohol consumption, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, smoking status, Type 2 diabetes, previous myocardial infarction, resting heart rate and serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, compared with men with only 1 sauna bathing session per week, the HR for dementia was 0.78 (95% CI: 0.57–1.06) for 2–3 sauna bathing sessions per week and 0.34 (95% CI: 0.16–0.71) for 4–7 sauna bathing sessions per week. The corresponding HRs for Alzheimer's disease were 0.80 (95% CI: 0.53–1.20) and 0.35 (95% CI: 0.14–0.90).

Conclusion in this male population, moderate to high frequency of sauna bathing was associated with lowered risks of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Further studies are warranted to establish the potential mechanisms linking sauna bathing and memory diseases.
circular
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Re: Increased sauna use associated with less AD & Dementia in large, 20y study

Post by circular »

I'd venture to guess that Rhonda Patrick might explain at least one mechanism through heat shock proteins.
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
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KatieS
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Re: Increased sauna use associated with less AD & Dementia in large, 20y study

Post by KatieS »

Cir, here Ronda explains (in ~8 minutes) how saunas increase heat shock proteins and activate FOX03.
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Re: Increased sauna use associated with less AD & Dementia in large, 20y study

Post by Stavia »

I'd much rather do this than cold shock.
Considering filling the hot tub for summer - we run it at 40 degrees celsius....
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Re: Increased sauna use associated with less AD & Dementia in large, 20y study

Post by Gilgamesh »

Thumperama, thanks!

The studied population are Finns. There is an inverse correlation between binge drinking and wealth in Finland, and I can imagine there's a (direct) correlation, perhaps only slight, between sauna use and wealth. So I'd want to see how carefully they controlled for type of alcohol consumption (and other variables).

In analysis adjusted for [...] alcohol consumption...

Previous dementia studies in Scandinavia have looked at avg. amounts of alc. consumed, which doesn't measure the risk of infrequent binge drinking. (Winblad notes this limitation in one of the studies we often cite about the risk to us of alcohol, a study also of Finns.)

The study might just be telling us: don't binge drink, and your risk of dementia is lower.

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Sauna - near infra red

Post by buck3Maureen »

Does anyone have any experience with using near infrared sauna as a therapy? Dr. Bredesen suggested sauna for me - likely because I have type 3 (toxic) issues. At the time I looked up the price of getting a sauna and it was very high so I forgot about it. I have since discovered and built a DIY infrared sauna in my bathroom. I have read that it is good for inflammation and I have only tried it once but it was very relaxing. It costs about $120.
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SusanJ
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Re: Sauna - near infra red

Post by SusanJ »

Don't have any experience with it, but I'd like to hear more about your DIY version!
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Re: Sauna - near infra red

Post by Tincup »

I'm in the process of building my own in a shower.

Rhonda Patrick has a lot of info on sauna benefits. See her site. One comment that stood out to me and my wife was (I believe) a Finnish study where 7/day week sauna use reduced AD risk by ~65%.
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Re: Sauna - near infra red

Post by ajackson »

I don't have experience with the sauna but my vet used red light therapy on my dog when she had knee surgery. The healing time was absolutely amazing. Can't wait to hear more about it either!
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Re: Sauna - near infra red

Post by buck3Maureen »

REgarding the DIY. The challenging part is finding a place in your house to put it. Ideally a small empty closet or bathroom. Mine is in a shower area that we seldom use. You have to sit about 12 to 22 inches from the light. There are a number of sites you can google that show you what you need. Basically 4 lights (abt 10 each) the fixtures you screw them into (abt 14 each) something to mount them on- I bought a shoe rack that holds 30 pairs of shoes (25 dollars) and the power strip to plug them into (abt 18). A number of sites on the internet give you all the info you need.
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