Sauna bathing reduces the risk of stroke in Finnish men and women: A prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between frequency of sauna bathing and risk of future stroke.

METHODS: Baseline habits of sauna bathing were assessed in 1,628 adult men and women aged 53-74 years (mean age, 62.7 years) without a known history of stroke in the Finnish Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease prospective cohort study. Three sauna bathing frequency groups were defined: 1, 2-3, and 4-7 sessions per week. Hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) were estimated for incident stroke.

RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 14.9 years, 155 incident stroke events were recorded. Compared with participants who had one sauna bathing session per week, the age- and sex-adjusted HR (95% CI) for stroke was 0.39 (0.18-0.83) for participants who had 4-7 sauna sessions per week. After further adjustment for established cardiovascular risk factors and other potential confounders, the corresponding HR (95% CI) was 0.39 (0.18-0.84) and this remained persistent on additional adjustment for physical activity and socioeconomic status at 0.38 (0.18-0.81). The association between frequency of sauna bathing and risk of stroke was not modified by age, sex, or other clinical characteristics ( p for interaction > 0.10 for all subgroups). The association was similar for ischemic stroke but modest for hemorrhagic stroke, which could be attributed to the low event rate (n = 34).

CONCLUSIONS: This long-term follow-up study shows that middle-aged to elderly men and women who take frequent sauna baths have a substantially reduced risk of new-onset stroke.