Human study · Research · 28 Oct 2026
One sauna session briefly raised circulating white blood cells
Source: ScienceDaily
What the research found
ScienceDaily reported on 28 October 2026 a Temperature paper led by Jari Laukkanen at the University of Eastern Finland, with Ilkka Heinonen at the University of Turku (DOI 10.1080/23328940.2026.2645467). Fifty-one adults, average age 50, spent 30 minutes in a sauna with a brief cold shower halfway through. Every measured type of circulating white blood cell rose, including neutrophils and lymphocytes, and those two counts were back to the starting level within 30 minutes. Average cytokine levels barely changed, though several cytokines moved with how much body temperature rose. The release does not give the sex split or the age range, only the average age. This is one session, not a record of fewer illnesses, and the cold shower means the result is not heat alone. Not medical advice.
Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.
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