Dr. Rhonda Patrick has been making waves in the field of healthy aging. With a PhD in biomedical science and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in biochemistry/chemistry she is an expert and vocal spokesperson for health research. One of her recent focuses is on the health impacts of saunas. She has been a regular on the Joe Rogan Podcast and very high profile with her website Found My Fitness.



She has been writing about the possible health benefits of sauna and the links to decreasing mortality rates. Soon after, people began to notice she was on the right track. Since then further studies backed her up. “There is a link between sauna use and all cause mortality,” says Patrick. There was found to be a strong correlation between sauna use and all cause mortality. An additional factor was how long each sauna session lasted.



Longevity Research

Dr. Rhonda Patrick has an expertise in aging, so longevity was a major area she looked into. There were large clinical studies on the effects of sauna and the results stood out to her:

Results show that during a median (midpoint) follow-up of nearly 21 years. There were 190 SCDs, 281 fatal CHDs, 407 fatal CVDs and 929 deaths from all causes. Compared with men who reported one sauna bathing session per week, the risk of SCD was 22 percent lower for 2 to 3 sauna bathing sessions per week and 63 percent lower for 4 to 7 sauna sessions per week. The risk of fatal CHD events was 23 percent lower for 2 to 3 bathing sessions per week and 48 percent lower for 4 to 7 sauna sessions per week compared to once a week. CVD death also was 27 percent lower for men who took saunas 2 to 3 times a week and 50 percent lower for men who were in the sauna 4 to 7 times a week compared with men who indulged just once per week. For all-cause mortality, sauna bathing 2 to 3 times per week was associated with a 24 percent lower risk and 4 to 7 times per week with a 40 percent reduction in risk compared to only one sauna session per week. -Dr. Rhonda Patrick

There are no studies on infrared vs traditional saunas and longevity. However, she admits it is possible infrared saunas have the edge. This is because it is easier to stay in an infrared sauna longer.