Sauna-induced body mass loss in young sedentary women and men.

Robert Podstawski,Dariusz Choszcz,Piotr Markowski,Michał Boraczyński,Stefan Mańkowski,Tomasz Boraczyński

doi:10.1155/2014/307421

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and body mass loss (BML) induced by thermal stress in a dry sauna. The study was conducted on a group of 674 sedentary students, 326 women and 348 men aged 19-20. The correlations between BMI scores and BML were determined. The subjects were placed in supine position in a dry sauna for two sessions of 10 minutes each with a 5-minute break. The influence of BMI on the amount of BML in the sauna was determined by nonlinear stepwise regression. The smallest BML was noted in underweight subjects; students with normal weight lost more weight, whereas the greatest BML was reported in overweight and obese subjects. Persons with a high BMI are at higher risk of dehydration, and they should pay particular attention to replenishing fluids during a visit to the sauna. The proposed equations for calculating BML based on a person's BMI can be useful in estimating the amount of fluids that should be replenished by both men and women during a visit to a dry sauna.

Highlights

The popularity of sauna bathing, a traditional activity known since the ancient times, has been revived in the past decades in Europe and around the world
The results of our study revealed significant correlations between body mass index (BMI) and body mass loss (BML) values
An increase in BMI was accompanied by a disproportionate increase in BML, expressed as a percentage of total body mass

Summary

Introduction

The popularity of sauna bathing, a traditional activity known since the ancient times, has been revived in the past decades in Europe and around the world. Dry sauna is widely used in sport, recreation, and rehabilitation. Researchers are of the opinion that sauna does not pose a risk for healthy individuals, including children and elderly people [1, 2]. Sauna has a positive effect on skeletal muscles by speeding up the excretion of metabolic waste [1]. Sauna baths are most often practiced for recovery after exercise [6, 7]. Sauna is used in sports to maximize the athletes’ physical and psychological recovery [10, 11]. Despite the above, uncontrolled sauna bathing could pose a risk of various disorders, such as severe dehydration, heat exhaustion, stroke, and burn [12,13,14]

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