Running and sauna produced different metal concentrations
In 12 people, sweat from running contained more of four tested metals than sweat from a sauna cabinet. Mercury showed no clear difference.
Worth knowing: An experimental sweat-composition study, not a before-and-after blood-metal study.
The short version
Twelve young adults tried both treadmill running and sitting in a heated cabinet, in randomized order. Their sweat contained higher concentrations of nickel, lead, copper and arsenic after running. Mercury showed no clear difference between conditions. This was a direct comparison within the same people, which is useful. It measured sweat composition, however, not a fall in blood metals, total body stores or symptoms of metal exposure.
Keep in mind
A higher concentration in sampled sweat is not automatically greater total removal from the body.
What they found
Nickel, lead, copper and arsenic concentrations were higher during running; mercury did not differ clearly.
What this means for your practice
The result does not establish a detox treatment or show that hotter sauna would remove more metal.
Methods and limitations
What the researchers did
Six women and six men completed both conditions. Researchers compared 24 sweat samples after controlled collection.
How much can this tell us?
The study tested healthy students, not miners or people with poisoning. The sauna cabinet was set to 45°C, unlike many ordinary Finnish saunas.
What makes it useful
- Within-person comparison
- Randomized condition order
What limits it
- 12 participants
- Sweat concentrations only
Where this study fits
Where this study fits
We score claims, not single studies. This one is part of the evidence for:
Sweat can carry arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury out of the body. Some support
Low certaintySize not reportedBody signals
Read the original
Kuan WH et al. Excretion of Ni, Pb, Cu, As, and Hg in Sweat under Two Sweating Conditions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022.
DOI 10.3390/ijerph19074323 · PubMed 35410004