Ex-footballers’ higher dementia rates not driven by ‘lifestyle factors’ – study
The FIELD study at the University of Glasgow is investigating potential links between dementia and head impacts in sport.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Higher rates of dementia among former professional footballers are not driven by “lifestyle factors” such as smoking or obesity, a study has found.
The FIELD study at the University of Glasgow is investigating potential links between dementia and head impacts in sport.
Researchers found rates of dementia “risk factors”, such as smoking, depression, alcohol-related disorders and obesity, were similar or lower among former players than in the general public.
The study, which analysed health records from 11,984 former players and a “matched” control of 35,952 members of the public, also found the contribution of these factors to dementia outcomes was “notably lower” in former players than in the general population.
The priority for neurodegenerative disease risk mitigation among contact sports athletes should continue to focus on the reduction, if not removal, of exposure to repetitive head impacts and traumatic brain injury
Professor Willie Stewart, the consultant neuropathologist leading the FIELD study, said the findings highlighted the importance of reducing or removing exposure to head impacts in sport.
“Our latest results suggest the relationship between higher rates of neurodegenerative disease among former professional footballers is not driven by those wider general health and lifestyle factors, widely recognised as dementia risk factors,” he said.
“As such, while interventions to address general health and lifestyle risk factors should remain recommended, the priority for neurodegenerative disease risk mitigation among contact sports athletes should continue to focus on the reduction, if not removal, of exposure to repetitive head impacts and traumatic brain injury, wherever practical.”
The findings build on previous FIELD study research showing higher rates of neurodegenerative disease among former professional footballers.
In 2019 the study found former players were three and a half times more likely to die from neurodegenerative disease than the general public.
In 2021 researchers also identified a direct association between the length of a player’s career and their risk of developing dementia, with those with the longest careers seeing a fivefold increase in the risk of the neurodegenerative disease.
The study, titled Influence of health and lifestyle factors on dementia risk among former professional soccer players, was published in JAMA Network Open.
It was funded by the Football Association and the Professional Footballers Association, the National Institutes of Health and the Medical Research Council.