Chơi bóng đá có thể dẫn đến bệnh Alzheimer?

Một nghiên cứu vào tháng 3 năm 2023 cho thấy các vận động viên chơi bóng đá có nguy cơ mắc bệnh Alzheimer và các chứng mất trí khác cao hơn. Bệnh thoái hóa thần kinh cao hơn đáng kể ở những cầu thủ bóng đá nam chơi trong đội bóng hàng đầu so với dân số nói chung. 

Findings

Of 7386 football players who had played at least one game in the top Swedish division between Aug 1, 1924, and Dec 31, 2019, 182 players were excluded for an unretrievable personal identity number, and 417 were excluded due to their number not being identified in the Total Population Register. After a further exclusion of 780 players and 11 627 controls who were born outside of Sweden and who had immigrated to the country after age 15 years, 6007 football players (510 goalkeepers) were included in the study population along with 56 168 matched controls. During follow-up to Dec 31, 2020, 537 (8·9%) of 6007 football players and 3485 (6·2%) of 56 168 controls were diagnosed with neurodegenerative disease. The risk of neurodegenerative disease was higher among football players than controls (hazard ratio [HR] 1·46 [95% CI 1·33–1·60]). Alzheimer's disease and other dementias were more common among football players than controls (HR 1·62 [95% CI 1·47–1·78]), significant group differences were not observed for motor neuron disease (HR 1·27 [0·73–2·22]), and Parkinson's disease was less common among football players (HR 0·68 [0·52–0·89]). The risk of neurodegenerative disease was higher for outfield players than controls (HR 1·50 [95% CI 1·36–1·65]) but not for goalkeepers versus controls (HR 1·07 [0·78–1·47]), and outfield players had a higher risk of neurodegenerative disease than did goalkeepers (HR 1·43 [1·03–1·99]). All-cause mortality was slightly lower among football players than controls (HR 0·95 [95% CI 0·91–0·99]).

Interpretation

In this cohort study, male football players who had played in the Swedish top division had a significantly increased risk of neurodegenerative disease compared with population controls. The risk increase was observed for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias but not for other types of neurodegenerative disease, and among outfield players, but not among goalkeepers. Our study expands on the data that can be used to assess and manage risks in the sport.

Neurodegenerative disease among male elite football (soccer) players in Sweden: a cohort study - The Lancet Public Health

Một nghiên cứu khác được công bố trên Tạp chí Y học New England cho thấy các cựu cầu thủ bóng đá chuyên nghiệp có tỷ lệ tử vong do các bệnh thoái hóa thần kinh cao hơn 3,5 lần so với dân số nói chung. 

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1908483

Điều này đặt ra câu hỏi, bóng đá có hại cho não không?