Study: Regular hot baths may reduce blood sugar and Diabetes risk

According to the researchers, taking regular hot baths may help improve blood sugar levels, a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is a measure of blood sugar control that refers to the blood molecules to which glucose or sugar has stuck to. Higher glycated hemoglobin levels indicate high blood sugar.

Various forms of heat therapy, like hot baths and saunas, are recommended as a way to reduce body fat levels and improve glycated hemoglobin levels. However, so far, there is no strong evidence supporting hot water baths as a reliable form of therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes.

In the new study, the researchers followed the bathing habits of 1,297 patients with type 2 diabetes at the Kohnodai Hospital, Japan, between 2018 and 2019. They compared the frequency of bathing with the metabolic parameters of the patients. Mention may be made here that hot water baths are essential parts of the Japanese culture.

The study found that an increased frequency of bathing was associated with decreasing levels of glycated hemoglobin, after adjusting for age, sex, BMI and insulin use. Precisely, a mean frequency of hot water bathing 4.2 times a week for a mean duration of 16 minutes was associated with a decrease in body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure and glycated hemoglobin levels.

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