THE HIDDEN ADVANTAGES OF SWEATING

THIS IS INTERESTING STUFF, BUT IF SWEATING IS THE CRUCIAL ELEMENT, I CAN THINK OF OTHER WAYS TO WORK UP A SWEAT!!! Taking frequent saunas prolong life According to a Finnish study, the likelihood of heart attacks, heart diseases and cardiovascular diseases is lower when sweating several times a week. Frequent saunas may be beneficial to health and may also prolong life. This is the outcome of a Finnish study published in "JAMA Internal Medicine". According to the study, frequent visits to the sauna are particularly beneficial to the heart and circulatory system. Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland (Kuopio) analysed data from 2,315 men aged between 42 and 60 from eastern Finland, where taking a sauna is particularly popular. The likelihood of dying from a heart attack was 22 per cent lower among those who used a sauna two to three times a week compared to study subjects who took saunas only once a week; and those who used a sauna four to seven times per week even had a 63 per cent lower risk. The results were similar with respect to mortality caused by diseases of coronary vessels or cardiovascular diseases. Two to three sauna visits per week reduced the likelihood of dying from a coronary heart disease by 23 per cent, and those who went to a sauna four to seven times weekly even demonstrated a 48 per cent lower risk. Mortality caused by cardiovascular diseases decreased by 27 per cent in those who used a sauna two to three times per week, and the risk was halved in those who used a sauna four to seven times weekly. Furthermore, overall mortality was also lower among frequent sauna users. Two to three saunas per week, as opposed to one, decreased mortality by 24 per cent, four to seven visits by 40 per cent. Furthermore, it showed that longer sauna sessions - more than 19 minutes - were better for a person's health than shorter sessions (less than eleven minutes). Further studies are needed to research the reasons underlying this association, the authors said.