A new study shows that taking at
least five hot baths every week can improve cardiovascular health for seniors.
For those of us who enjoy indulging in hot
baths, a new study has some good news.
Several new studies have pointed to
the health benefits of saunas.
From slashing the risk of high blood pressure in
men to drastically lowering the risk of stroke in both men
and women, relaxing in steamy, hot rooms seems to do wonders for one's
cardiovascular health.
Specifically, one study revealed
that those who enjoyed a sauna four to seven times per week had a 60
percent lower chance of stroke than those who only had one
sauna per week.
Another study found a 46 percent lower
risk of hypertension among
people who had four to seven weekly sauna sessions compared with those who had
just one.
But, for those of us who perhaps
cannot afford to go to the sauna so regularly, could we derive the same health
benefits from hot baths?
A team of Japanese-based scientists
led by Prof. Katsuhiko Kohara, of the Faculty of Collaborative Regional
Innovation at Ehime University in Matsuyama, set out to find an answer to this
question.
Their findings were
published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Studying the benefits of hot baths
for seniors
Prof. Kohara and team asked 873
study participants aged between 60 and 76 years old to fill in a questionnaire
regarding their hot water bathing practices.
"Hot" water was defined as
having a temperature of over 41°C, and a single hot bath lasted 12.4 minutes,
on average.
To assess cardiac health, the
researchers took several measures, including brachial-ankle pulsewave
velocity, which is a measure of atherosclerosis, and
plasma levels of B-type natriuretic peptide, which is a standard measure of
cardiac loading.
Of the 873 participants, the
researchers had access to longitudinal data on 164 people who had undergone a
minimum of two medical examinations, averaging a follow-up period of almost 5
years.
Five hot baths may improve heart
health
Overall, the study found that
"[h]ot water bathing showed a favorable effect on atherosclerotic and
central hemodynamic parameters."
More specifically, people who took
at least five hot baths every week had significantly lower markers of
atherosclerosis and cardiac loading. Prof. Kohara and his colleagues conclude:
"Based upon these findings, it is conceivable that hot
water bathing could have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system in the
general population."
Reacting to the study, Prof. Jeremy
Pearson — an associate medical director with the British Heart Foundation in
the United Kingdom — explains that "there are [...] plausible reasons for
why a long soak could be beneficial for a person's heart health."
"This study," Prof.
Pearson adds, "shows an association between having regular hot baths and
some indicators of better heart and circulatory health."
"However," he cautions,
"this is just an observation and might be related to other lifestyle
factors, such as people who have regular baths may also be more likely to live
a low-stress lifestyle, or have a healthier diet."
"Far more research is
needed," concludes Prof. Pearson, "to understand the link before
doctors start prescribing a hot bath to the elderly."
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