Taking a hot bath with beautiful fragrant bath salts is something that does wonders for the body because it relaxes you and leaves your skin feeling smooth after a good soak. If this is something that you enjoy doing, we have some great news! A recent study from Loughborough University found that taking a relaxing bath may have similar health benefits to exercising and can even help prevent type 2 diabetes–yay!
Researcher, Dr. Steve Faulkner explains to The Conversation how a hot bath has always been relaxing, but most recently they’ve discovered how “passive heating” can improve health. They investigated the effect of a hot bath on blood sugar control and on energy expended. Researchers recruited 14 men to take part in the study and they assigned them to an hour-long soak in a hot bath (104 °F) or an hour of cycling. These activities were chosen because they cause a rise in core body temperature over the course of one hour.
The researchers measured how many calories the men burned in each session, as well as how their blood sugar measured 24 hours later. They found that the men burned more calories by cycling than with taking a hot bath, even though taking a bath resulted in about as many calories burned during a half-hour walk. The blood sugar measurements were about the same, but peak blood sugar after eating was about 10% lower when participants took a hot bath compared to when they cycled.
“We also showed changes to the inflammatory response similar to that following exercise. The anti-inflammatory response to exercise is important as it helps to protect us against infection and illness, but chronic inflammation is associated with a reduced ability to fight off diseases. This suggests that repeated passive heating may contribute to reducing chronic inflammation, which is often present with long-term diseases, such as type 2 diabetes,” explains Faulkner.
This isn’t the first time baths have been the focus of studies. Previous studies have shown that frequent visits to the sauna can reduce the risk of having a heart attack or stroke in men, as well as lower blood pressure.
So, next time someone tells you to stop taking hot baths, tell them no, that you’re doing it for your health and to lose weight!