Retired American football players may experience accelerated aging, including a higher prevalence of chronic diseases, compared to the general population, according to a study published online Dec. 7 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine .
Aim
To examine the relationships between age, health span, and chronic disease among former professional American football (ASF) players.
Methods
We compared the age-specific, race-standardized, and body mass index-standardized prevalence rates of arthritis, dementia/Alzheimer’s disease, hypertension, and diabetes among young and middle-aged adults (range 25-59 years) former professional players. of male ASF (n=2864) with a comparison cohort from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the National Health Interview Survey, two representative samples of the US general population. Age was stratified into 25 at 29, 30 to 39, 40 to 49 and 50 to 59 years.
Results
Arthritis and dementia/Alzheimer’s disease were more prevalent among ASF players across all age ranges in the study (all p<0.001). In contrast, hypertension and diabetes were more prevalent among ASF players in the younger age stratum only (p<0.001 and p<0.01, respectively).
ASF players were less likely to demonstrate a period of intact health (i.e., absence of chronic diseases) than the general population across all age ranges.
Figure 1 Race-adjusted and BMI-adjusted prevalence estimates for each chronic condition in former professional American football players versus the general population. (A) Arthritis (Football Players’ Health Study (FPHS) and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)); (B) Dementia/Alzheimer’s disease (FPHS and National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)); (C) Hypertension/High Blood Pressure (FPHS and NHANES and (D) Diabetes Mellitus (FPHS and NHANES). Significance values have been adjusted using Bonferonni correction for multiple comparisons. **p<0.0013; ***p <0.00013 after multiple comparisons correction aThe axes for B, C have been expanded for visibility BMI, body mass index.
Conclusion These data suggest the emergence of a maladaptive early aging phenotype among former professional ASF players characterized by premature chronic disease burden and reduced lifespan. Additional studies are needed to investigate these findings and their impact on morbidity and mortality in former ASF players and other athlete groups. |
Comments
Rachel Grashow, Ph.D., of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues compared the prevalence ratios of arthritis, dementia/Alzheimer’s disease, hypertension, and diabetes among young and middle-aged people (ages 25 to 59 years) former professional male soccer players (2,864 men) versus a matched nationally representative cohort identified from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the National Health Interview Survey .
The researchers found that arthritis and dementia/Alzheimer’s disease were more common among soccer players in all age ranges in the study. Only among young soccer players (25 to 29 years old) were hypertension and diabetes more prevalent. Compared to the general population, soccer players were less likely to show an intact health span (disease-free years) across all age ranges.
"These data suggest the emergence of a maladaptive early aging phenotype among former professional American football players characterized by premature chronic disease burden and reduced health," the authors write. "These results highlight the need to identify adult and middle-aged gamers who may harbor cardiometabolic, orthopedic and neurocognitive diseases to consider early pharmacological and behavioral interventions to improve morbidity and mortality."
What was already known about the topic?
Although exposure to professional American football (ASF) has been associated with a maladaptive multi-organ phenotype, data on the effects of ASF on health and the premature onset of chronic diseases have not yet been studied.
What does this study contribute?
Our data suggest a significantly reduced lifespan in former ASF players compared to the general population. This was driven by a higher prevalence of conditions typically associated with aging, including arthritis and dementia/Alzheimer’s disease across all age groups 25 to 59, and hypertension and diabetes among players ages 25 to 29. years within a large cohort of young and middle-aged adult professional ASF players.
How it affects the practice
These results highlight the need to identify adult and midlife gamers who may harbor cardiometabolic, orthopedic, and neurocognitive diseases to consider early pharmacological and behavioral interventions to improve morbidity and mortality.
