Sauna Therapy and Heat Proteins

Heat shock proteins are a group of proteins that function to reverse or inhibit denaturation -A process where a molecule denatures as a result of an exposure denaturing agent. A result or unfolding of cellular proteins in response to stress or high temperature.
HSPs are also known as molecular chaperones because of their physiological and protective roles in cells. Sauna therapy is probably the best way to activate heat shock proteins by raising your core temperature above 102 degrees Fahrenheit which is easily obtained in a sauna.
Depending on what type of sauna, this is achieved within fifteen minutes or thirty to forty minutes. A Nordic sauna with an outside temperature can be as hot as two hundred plus degrees Fahrenheit.
An infrared sauna works in a different manner however both achieve the same core temperature except one takes longer for that to happen.
The benefits of stimulating the release of HSPs are numerous such as preventing disease by the binding of peptides - (amino acids) and presenting these peptides to T cells which modulate an immune response. Another important factor of the role of HSPs is the prevention of cellular mutations which cause disease. HSPs repair damaged and mis-folded proteins. - A mis-folded protein follows the wrong folding pathway. A mis-folded protein cannot achieve it’s normal native state.
So, now let’s look at the central hub of cellular energy - “The Mitochondria “. The Mitochondria is the producer of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate - an energy molecule that sustains life whether a plant or human).
What is Triphosphate? - A salt or acid. What is Adenosine? A chemical found in human cells.
Let’s define Mitophagy. Mitophagy is a type of Autophagy that involves an intricate removal of dysfunctional Mitochondria or the entire Mitochondria and replaces either or with new parts or new Mitochondria during conditions of metabolic stress.
Now let’s define Autophagy - A degradation pathway that maintains cellular homeostasis.
Let me put the two in context. Autophagy is a continuous physiological, biological ridding of parts of the Mitochondria or the entire Mitochondria and replacing parts of the Mitochondria or the Mitochondria itself with new parts. This process of Autophagy is most abundant during sleep.
Mitophagy is a transient stressor that creates a physiological, biological response that creates a form of Autophagy called “Mitophagy”. The activation of HSPs is caused by a transient stress such as a sauna which then in turn produces Mitophagy, the disposal of parts, or the Mitochondria as a whole and in turn replacing them with new parts or once again the entire Mitochondria which makes the Mitochondria more robust and a greater amount of ATP production.
HSPs stimulate the production of new proteins required to build new muscle tissue after weight barring exercise by ensuring these proteins fold into the correct shape. Natural growth hormones are released once again by transient stress.
The body has an ability through macrophages - a type of white blood cells, to sense danger and natural growth hormone production is part of our survival response. HSPs modulate the process of inflammation by producing anti - inflammatory cytokines. Cytokines are small proteins.
Heat Shock Proteins have a profound affect on our cardiovascular health by slowing down or staving off the progression of cardiovascular diseases by the circulation of Heat Shock Protein antibodies. A peer reviewed study has shown that HSPs are neuro-protective, helping the potential prevention of neurological disease as well as slowing down the pathological conditions associated with neurological disease.
Sauna therapy is by far the best way to activate HSPs. The question is does transient stress caused by heat and does this transient stress release HSPs?
What types of heat inducing stressors are there? Jacuzzis would be right up there. Hot shower? Hot yoga? The activation of the body cooling itself down by sweating is a transient stress and will produce Mitophagy and does Mitophagy play a role in releasing HSPs?
The answer is if Mitophagy is produced by a hot enough transient stressor that elevates your core temperature to around 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Once again a perfect example is a sauna.
I’ll be writing a blog on Autophagy and Mitophagy at a later time.
My follow up blog to Heat Shock Proteins will be on Cooling Shock Proteins. Stay tuned.