Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38577299›Full record

ReviewTemperature (Austin, Tex.)2024

The multifaceted benefits of passive heat therapies for extending the healthspan: A comprehensive review with a focus on Finnish sauna.

Jari A Laukkanen, Setor K Kunutsor

Registry-linked trialOpen access · greenAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Temperature (Austin, Tex.), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07223099 (Sauna for Offline Connections and Interactive, Authentic Living), which is not on this map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
26citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
10.1field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07223099 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

Sauna for Offline Connections and Interactive, Authentic Living

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of California, San FranciscoRan2026 to 2027Enrolled15ConditionsLonelinessArmsSauna Visits
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 31 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. A Single Sauna Session Does Not Improve Postprandial Blood Glucose Handling in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Over, Randomized, Controlled Trial.Experimental and clinical endocrinology & diabetes : official journal, German Society of Endocrinology [and] German Diabetes Association · 2024
    Trial
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Observational
  7. Effects of Bathtub Bathing and Sauna Practices on Cardiovascular and Systemic Health: A Narrative Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026
    Review
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Diabetes, Protein Misfolding, and Heat Stress: Molecular Insights and Translational Perspectives.TH open : companion journal to thrombosis and haemostasis · 2026
    Review
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Jari A LaukkanenInstitute of Clinical Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3738-1586
Setor K KunutsorDiabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2625-0273
University of Eastern Finland · FIUniversity of Leicester · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Passive heat therapy is characterized by exposure to a high environmental temperature for a brief period. There are several types of passive heat therapy which include hot tubs, Waon therapy, hydrotherapy, sanarium, steam baths, infrared saunas and Finnish saunas. The most commonly used and widely studied till date are the Finnish saunas, which are characterized by high temperatures (ranging from 80-100°C) and dry air with relative humidity varying from 10-20%. The goal of this review is to provide a summary of the current evidence on the impact of passive heat therapies particularly Finnish saunas on various health outcomes, while acknowledging the potential of these therapies to contribute to the extension of healthspan, based on their demonstrated health benefits and disease prevention capabilities. The Finnish saunas have the most consistent and robust evidence regarding health benefits and they have been shown to decrease the risk of health outcomes such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, thromboembolism, dementia, and respiratory conditions; may improve the severity of musculoskeletal disorders, COVID-19, headache and flu, while also improving mental well-being, sleep, and longevity. Finnish saunas may also augment the beneficial effects of other protective lifestyle factors such as physical activity. The beneficial effects of passive heat therapies may be linked to their anti-inflammatory, cytoprotective and anti-oxidant properties and synergistic effects on neuroendocrine, circulatory, cardiovascular and immune function. Passive heat therapies, notably Finnish saunas, are emerging as potentially powerful and holistic strategies to promoting health and extending the healthspan in all populations.

Indexed as

cardiovascular diseaseFinnish saunahot tubhydroptherapylifespanmortalityPassive heat therapysteam bathWaon therapy

Identifiers

PMID38577299
PMCPMC10989710
OpenAlexW4392181125

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.