Regular visits to the sauna were helpful for patients with heart failure. As reported by New Scientist, to such conclusions came a group of Japanese scientists led by Takashi Ohori (Takashi Ohori) from the Japanese University of Toyama. A report on their work is published in The American Journal of Cardiology.

Ohori and his colleagues studied the effect of fever on the heart. The study involved four dozen elderly patients suffering from chronic heart failure.

Five times a week, volunteers spent 15 minutes in the sauna and then covered themselves with a blanket for 30 minutes to maintain body temperature one degree higher than normal. After three weeks, the pumping function of the participants' hearts improved. As a result, the distance that patients could overcome in six minutes increased from 337 to 379 meters.

The Ohori group also noted the positive effect of the sauna on the inner shell of the vessels (endothelium), in particular its ability to regulate pressure. In addition, the volunteers increased the blood content of progenitor cells, which are converted into endothelial cells.

According to the current recommendations of American cardiologists, patients with heart failure should not be exposed to elevated temperature. In this regard, the authors of the study advised such patients to be soared only under the supervision of medical specialists.

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