#037 Dr. Jari Laukkanen on Sauna Use for the Prevention of Cardiovascular & Alzheimer’s Disease

Jari Laukkanen

This podcast features Jari Laukkanen, M.D., Ph.D., a cardiologist and scientist at the Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio.

Dr. Laukkanen has been conducting long-term trials looking at the health effects of sauna use in a population of over 2,000 middle-aged men in Finland. 

In this episode, you’ll discover: 

• (00:00) Introduction
• (01:50) Sauna use improves cardiovascular health and reduces risk of death
• (06:42) How sauna use lowers blood pressure 
• (08:07) Sauna use mimics aerobic exercise, increasing heart rate up to 150 beats/min
• (09:40) How long should you stay in the sauna?
• (11:59) Heat shock proteins help keep the brain healthy 
• (14:52) Sauna use increases growth hormone and improves response to exercise
• (17:43) The positive effects of sauna on mood may be due to endorphins
• (20:58) Finnish sauna culture and adding cold-water immersion to the sauna experience

If you’re interested in learning more, you can read the full show notes here.

Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information on sauna use straight to your inbox weekly: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter

Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor