Los experts warn: football linked to higher ELA risk

While football is often celebrated for promoting healthy lifestyles, a growing body of research now highlights the opposite side: repeated head impacts may dramatically raise the risk of neuro‑degenerative diseases. Los experts point to alarming statistics that contrast the sport’s fitness image with a heightened danger of ELA and other conditions.

The most cited investigation, reported by Sport, was carried out by the Universidad de Glasgow. Researchers followed 7,676 former professional players for more than 18 years and compared their health outcomes with those of 23,028 individuals from the general population.

The data revealed that former footballers were five times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, four times more likely to suffer from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ELA), and twice as likely to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Mortality from neuro‑degenerative disorders was 3.5 times higher than in the control group.

Importantly, the increased risk was observed mainly among outfield players, while goalkeepers did not show the same elevated rates. This pattern reinforces the hypothesis that heading the ball and repeated impacts to the head may trigger the onset of these illnesses.

The findings have already prompted several football federations to revise training protocols, limiting heading drills and emphasizing protective measures during practice.

Álvaro Benito expressed his shock on the discussion programme El Larguero, saying, “Es un dato escalofriante. Tremendo, porque parece que el deporte es salud.”

José Cernuda, director of Proteckthor, added that the Glasgow study is one of more than 50 investigations reaching similar conclusions, noting, “Es un dato tremendo y son más de 50 estudios los que avalan este dato.”

He also highlighted that modern footballers run faster, are stronger, and therefore experience more frequent impacts, expanding the health concerns beyond heading alone.