Top-level footballers, goalkeepers excluded, have had it for a century increased risk of developing dementia compared to the general population, according to a Swedish study released on Friday.
A panel of experts believes this study helps “convincing evidence” of the relationship between the most popular sport in the world and the increased risk of degenerative brain problems.
This relationship with which she was already discovered the 2020 death of Nobby Stilesworld champion in 1966 with England and suffering from dementia, and with other cases recorded in other sports such as rugby, American football and hockey, where blows to the head are frequent.
The study published in the scientific journal The Lancet Public Health has analyzed the medical reports of more than 6,000 footballers of the Swedish first division league between 1924 and 2019.
Next, the experts compared the rate of people suffering from degenerative brain problems with that of a sample of 56,000 Swedes.
Soccer players had a 1.5 times higher risk of suffering from diseases such as Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Archers are the exception in this study, since they don’t take as many blows to the head as outfield players.
“This research confirms the hypothesis that head play explains this relationship“Between calcium and brain disease, the study’s lead author told AFP, Peter Uedaof the Swedish Karolinska Institutet.
It is the largest study conducted on this issue from another that was done in Scotland in 2019 and which concluded that footballers had 3.5 more chances of suffering from neurodegenerative problems.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.