The report that should worry footballers

High-level soccer players, other than goalkeepers, are at a higher risk of developing dementia compared to the general population, according to an in-depth Swedish study published this Friday.

Experts say the study provides “convincing evidence” of a link between the world’s most popular sport and an increased risk of degenerative brain disorders, something already confirmed in the 2020 death of the world champion who was Nobby Stiles in 1966 in England and he suffered from dementia. This also happens in other cases related to sports such as rugby, American football or ice hockey, due to the shocks that the players suffer.

The study published in the scientific journal ‘The Lancet Public Health’ analyzed the medical records of more than 6,000 Swedish league players between 1924 and 2019. It then compared the rate of occurrence of degenerative brain disorders to sample of 56,000 Swedes.

Results: Soccer players had a 1.5 times higher risk than the control group of developing diseases such as Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. Objectives are clearly an exception to learning. “This research supports the hypothesis that pitching explains the link between soccer and brain diseases,” lead author Peter Ueda, from Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet, told AFP.

This is the largest study on the subject since a Scottish study in 2019 which suggested that footballers are 3.5 times more likely to develop degenerative brain diseases than the general population.

Slightly higher life expectancy

In contrast, a Swedish study found that professional players have a slightly higher life expectancy than other mortals. This can be explained according to Ueda by a better physical condition and a higher socioeconomic status.

The study did not identify an increased risk of developing neuromotor diseases, such as Charcot disease (ALS), and even noted a lower incidence of Parkinson’s disease.