Defenders more at risk of dementia in later life!

London: Defenders are more likely than their team-mates to suffer dementia caused by heading the ball, according to new research into neurological disease in former players.

The latest data from the University of Glasgow’s study has been labelled the "missing link" between football and the risk of degenerative brain disorders. Results show for goalkeepers neurodegenerative disease risk was similar to general population levels but almost four times higher for outfield players, with a five-fold increase for defenders, where head injuries and heading the ball are more prevalent.

Findings also show diagnoses grew with increasing career length, ranging from an approximately doubling of risk in those with shortest careers, to around a five-time increase in those with the longest careers.

"We are at a point in this current data to suggest that footballs should be sold with a health warning saying ‘Repeated heading of a football may lead to an increased risk of dementia’," said consultant neuropathologist Professor Willie Stewart of the University of Glasgow. "Unlike other dementia and other degenerative diseases, we know what the risk factor is here. It is entirely preventable. We can stop this now, potentially.