Scientists have suggested "years of heading balls and colliding with other players could be damaging footballers' brains and putting players at risk of developing dementia," according to Nicola Davis of the London GUARDIAN. The claim comes from the "researchers behind a small study which examined the brains of six footballers who developed dementia after long careers in the sport." Postmortems found that all six had Alzheimer's disease, while four also showed evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy -- a "degenerative disease linked to repeated blows to the head." Helen Ling, a co-author of the study from Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Studies at the University College London Institute of Neurology, said, "Our findings suggest that there is a potential link between repetitive sub-concussive head impacts from playing football and the development of CTE." However, others were "quick to warn of the study's limitations," pointing out that it showed "no clear evidence that playing football could increase the risk of developing dementia." Neither genetic nor "wider aspects" of the players' lifestyle were "taken into account" -- factors which are "known to influence the risk of developing dementia" (GUARDIAN, 2/14). In London, Gonzalo Viña reported although the "sample size was small," researchers said that the incidence of CTE among footballers "exceeded" the 12% "population average seen in previous studies." Roxana Carare, an expert from the University of Southampton, said that the UCL researchers "formulated a reasonable hypothesis" and that work required "careful follow-up of a larger number of footballers." She added, "Already there may be enough evidence to examine the pattern of head injuries, particularly during games of professional football." UCL's Huw Morris "urged caution around the findings" and said that the risks of recreational football to children playing the sport were "extremely low" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 2/14). REUTERS' Ben Hirschler reported football is the "most popular sport in the world" and scientists said that the "danger of head injuries had to be weighed against the game's known benefits in improving cardiovascular health, which actually reduces the likelihood of developing dementia." The FA said that "more work was needed into whether degenerative brain disease was more common in ex-footballers," adding it planned to "jointly fund research with the Professional Footballers' Association" (REUTERS, 2/15). The BBC's Smitha Mundasad reported Dawn Astle, the daughter of former England and West Brom striker Jeff Astle, who died at age 59, "suffering from early onset dementia," said that it was "obvious that it [his dementia] was linked to his footballing career." The inquest into his death in '02 found that "repeatedly heading heavy leather footballs had contributed to trauma to his brain." Astle: "At the coroner's inquest, football tried to sweep his death under a carpet. They didn't want to know, they didn't want to think that football could be a killer and sadly, it is. It can be" (BBC, 2/15).
