Passive heat therapy improves endothelial function, arterial stiffness and blood pressure in sedentary humans

Brunt VE, Howard MJ, Francisco MA, Ely BR, Minson CT · The Journal of Physiology

Heat therapy roughly doubled flow-mediated dilatation (5.6 to 10.9%, P < 0.01), reduced aortic pulse-wave velocity (7.1 to 6.1 m/s, P = 0.03), carotid intima-media thickness (0.43 to 0.37 mm, P < 0.001) and mean arterial pressure (83 to 78 mmHg, P = 0.02), and raised superficial femoral arterial compliance; the sham group did not change. The authors put the size of the change on a par with exercise training. Vascular endpoints only.

Population

20 young, healthy, sedentary adults (10 per arm)

Intervention

8 weeks of hot-water immersion (40.5°C, rectal temperature ≥38.5°C for 60 min, 4-5x/week)

Comparator

Thermoneutral (36°C) sham immersion

Limitations

n=20 young healthy subjects; water immersion, not sauna; three dropouts before completion; no musculoskeletal or joint endpoint of any kind.