Dr. Rhonda Patrick on health: what the evidence says · JRE #672
SUBJECT: HEALTH
The short answer
Patrick says men using a sauna four to seven times weekly had a 40% decrease in all-cause mortality. The figure comes from an observational Finnish cohort, not a trial showing that sauna use caused a mortality decrease. In a study of 2,315 middle-aged men followed for a median of 20.7 years, those reporting four to seven sauna sessions per week had an adjusted all-cause mortality hazard ratio of 0.60 compared with men reporting one weekly session.
Not a true/false call. Every claim is logged with its sources; read the exhibits below.
And men that used it like four to seven times a week had a 40% decrease in all-cause mortality.
What the evidence says 01 / RECORD
The figure comes from an observational Finnish cohort, not a trial showing that sauna use caused a mortality decrease. In a study of 2,315 middle-aged men followed for a median of 20.7 years, those reporting four to seven sauna sessions per week had an adjusted all-cause mortality hazard ratio of 0.60 compared with men reporting one weekly session. That is an association consistent with about 40% lower relative hazard, but participants were not randomly assigned and the authors called for further studies to establish a mechanism. The number is close to the study result, while the wording turns an association into a proven causal effect.