Soccer players are at higher risk of developing neurological problems from the age of 65 compared to people who have not played professional soccer, reveals a study by researchers from an English university, published this Friday.
The SCORES study involved 145 former professional soccer players, 55 of whom were over the age of 65, and relied on online tests to assess cognitive functions and monitor brain development.
Researchers from the University of East Anglia in Norwich concluded that ex-players in their 40s and 50s perform better than the general population, but the trend reverses with increasing age.
“It is when they reach 65 that things start to get worse,” said Michael Gray, the main person in charge of the study, illustrating that former soccer players “perform worse in areas such as reaction time, functions related to the ability to manage unforeseen situations and doing several things at the same time.
These are “clear early warning signs of deteriorating brain health,” according to Michael Gray, who intends to continue the study in the coming years, to get “a very clear picture of the potential damage that throwing a ball with head”. to provoke”.
The family of Nobby Stiles, England’s 1966 world champion who died in 2020 of dementia, announced last month that it would sue the English Football Association for failing to sufficiently protect players against the risk of brain injury.
Source: TSF
