Do Sauna Suits Help You Lose Weight?

The relaxing sensation of sitting in hot steam and all the health benefits along with it is now easily available to all in the form of a convenient suit, which is supposed to accelerate weight loss and provide other helpful benefits.

How the suit works:

Designed to be a waterproof tracksuit, usually made from PVC or nylon, the suit consists of a pullover shirt and pants and may include a hoodie. Designed to retain the body’s heat generated during exercise, the waterproof material combined with the stored heat causes the body to sweat profusely.

This sweating has also been called perspiration-induced dehydration. The loss of water it causes to the body is reflected by its decrease in weight, meaning the weight loss carried out by the suit is through intense sweating to the point where the user may become dehydrated. This can lead to extremely dangerous situations if precautions are not taken.

Research on weight loss:

A study conducted by the Western State Colorado University involving 45 overweight volunteers showed that out of all the volunteers, the group of fifteen who exercised while wearing a sauna shirt showed significant health improvements such as greater volume of oxygen during exercise.

Still, for weight loss purposes, the suit itself only helps lose a meager 4 pounds a year on top of the weight you lose from normal exercise. Aside from weight loss, they were able to burn more calories and fat and showed greater metabolism. It is also to be noted that this experiment was done over 8 weeks, and the volunteers were being monitored carefully.

Other health benefits:

Despite only slightly contributing to weight loss, sauna suits provide other health benefits that may not be as obvious as losing a few pounds. One of the biggest benefits of the suits is the development of cardiovascular health by improving blood pressure, decreasing the risk of various heart diseases.

The lower cholesterol and higher oxygen intake combined with the enhanced metabolism and increased pulse leads to a more proactive lifestyle and lively feeling and helps with post-workout recovery. Both conditions lead to more oxygen traveling faster to the muscles. The suit can also look very nice and fancy and is available just like a shirt as well!

Risks:

The risks involved with using a sauna suit are far greater than the benefits could hope to be. If left unsupervised, a novice can easily use the suit to put himself/herself in a life or death predicament. The intense sweating caused by the suit can lead to severe dehydration. People with medical conditions such as diabetes are at a greater risk of heat stress and hyperthermia.

Improper usage can also lead to negative effects on renal functions, the body’s thermal regulation, muscle strength, muscle endurance, and electrolyte balance which can cause kidney damage. The suits also led to the deaths of 3 wrestlers due to misuse, which says a lot about the potential risks involved in the use of the suit.

Conclusion:

These suits do help in losing weight; however, the effect is not as great as it is advertised to be, and without proper supervision and usage, the suit can pose greater risks to the body than benefit it. There are better alternatives to achieve weight loss that pose less risk to the body.