Football players are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study conducted in Sweden and published The Lancet Public Health. Research shows that soccer players are 1.5 times more likely to develop neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
There is a hypothesis that this tendency is due to frequent nodding during training and matches. This is also the opinion of Professor Emeritus at the UCL Genetic Institute (UK), David Curtis.
“It seems very plausible that heading the ball frequently during training and game leads to brain damage that can lead to dementia over time. The fact that it does not increase the risk of goalkeepers, who rarely head the ball, reinforces this hypothesis,” says the researcher. .
More than 7,000 players participated in the study. The selected professionals play in Sweden’s top flight. However, athletes are not more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, another neurodegenerative disease, for example. For the control group, the risk of dying from all other diseases was slightly lower among the players.
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