A social media post with a video showing a person getting wrapped in a sauna blanket is being widely shared. The post claims that sauna blanket treatment helps to lose inches. The post description reads ‘Sauna Blanket treatment rejuvenate the muscles while get rid of harmful toxins! #detox #musclerecovery #bodysculptingtreatment #saunablanket #loseinches #sweatchallenge.’ Let us fact check the claim in this post.
Claim: Sauna blankets aid in reducing body fat.
Fact: There is no scientific evidence to prove that sauna blankets aid in reducing body fat. Any kind of Sauna help generate sweat, the weight loss that results in it is just water loss, and the human body replenishes it once food or water is consumed. Hence, the claim made in this post is MISLEADING.
Saunas are small heated rooms in which people sit for a sauna bath. Typically, they use dry heat and have been in use for centuries. They are generally used for relaxing purposes and have other benefits too.
Sauna blanket also uses the same principle as Sauna baths. They use far infrared technology to heat the body from the inside. The user has to plug the blanket and wrap themselves inside it.
We looked on the internet for relevant scientific evidence from well-known organisations like CDC– Center for Disease Control and NCBI. We did not find any research that backed the claim that Sauna Blanket can reduce fat. However, we found a research paper written on the ‘Clinical Effects of Regular Dry Sauna Bathing’. This research was concluded by stating that ‘Regular infrared and/or Finnish sauna bathing has the potential to provide many beneficial health effects, especially for those with cardiovascular-related and rheumatological disease, as well as athletes seeking improved exercise performance.’ But nothing was proven about the effectiveness of sauna baths in weight loss.
We found a fact-check article written by THIP media, which rated this claim as Half-Truth. Dr Kashyap Dakshini, General Physician, told them, “Using Sauna blankets will remove the ‘easily replaceable water from the body, as the heat makes one sweat, it will lead to fluid loss. The water/fluid loss is the reason for a lower weight on the scale after a sauna session, which will be regained upon consumption of fluids/liquids. If used with clothes on, Sauna blankets should not impose any risk, except for those who are insensitive to heat“.
In an interview given to Camillesyles.com, Dee Anna Glaser, a dermatology professor at St. Louis University, said the problem with this claim is half of the equation is missing: fat burning. While infrared saunas make you sweat, they don’t trigger fat burning, which means they can’t help your body eliminate toxins.
Healthline.com, in their article about the benefits and risks of saunas, wrote, “Saunas aren’t effective for weight loss because the only weight lost is fluid weight, and your body will replenish the lost fluid as soon as you eat or drink.” This means that the body will regain the weight as soon as we drink water.
To sum it up, there is no scientific evidence to prove that sauna blankets help lose body fat.
