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Playing football can be very good for your health, Danish study suggests
Stephen Gadd
September 11th, 2017
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A new Danish study shows that a 70-year-old footballer has bones that are as strong as a 25-year-old’s
If they keep it up, their bones will still be strong when they’re 70 (photo: pixabay/Joshdick 75)
Most people would agree that sport and exercise are good for the body. A new Danish study has revealed that playing football is an excellent way to strengthen the bones, reports Videnskab.dk.
READ MORE: Study: Football can make you ten years younger
If you have played football a couple of times a week for most of your life, then there is a pretty good chance that your bones are strong when you reach the age of 70. In many ways, they are just as strong as the bones of a 25-year-old who does not train at all.
Bone idle
Among other things, the study focused on the mineral content of the bones. A low mineral content is one of the signs of osteoporosis.
One of the researchers, Professor Peter Krustrup from the University of Southern Denmark, was slightly surprised when he saw the results.
“In all the parameters, a 70-year-old used to playing football could measure up against a 25-year-old untrained person.”
Krustrup added that “the 70-year-olds who were trained in football all had strong bones, and that is very impressive and provides an interesting perspective in regard to preventing osteoporosis in the population.”
Get out and move it!
Professor Bente Langdahl is an expert on osteoporosis at Aarhus University and she also finds the results interesting.
“It underlines the fact that if you take part in any sort of physical activity that involves running, jumping and movement, then it can’t be stressed enough that you should carry on doing it,” she said.
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