Word: heart
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...than 60 pounds heavier on average than their nonplaying peers, NFL athletes had similar blood levels of cholesterol and triglyceride, and lower fasting-glucose levels (high fasting glucose is a common marker for diabetes). What's more, when examined by race, black NFL players showed no higher risk of heart disease than white players, even though black men in the general population have a much higher rate than their white peers. Overall, NFL players were also much less likely than other men to smoke cigarettes, another risk factor for heart disease and diabetes.(See the top 10 medical breakthroughs...
...Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), at the behest of the National Football League Players Association, found that while former players had a lower death rate overall compared with their peers in the general population, the heaviest players - offensive and defensive linemen - were 52% more likely to die of heart disease. (Watch TIME's video "How to Lose Hundreds of Pounds...
...study of active players, funded by the National Football League (NFL), adds another wrinkle to the issue. In the spring of 2007, a panel of heart specialists collected extensive data on the cardiovascular health of 504 veteran members of 12 pro teams - representing about one-fourth of all nonrookie players in the league - and found that when it comes to their hearts, NFL players may be as healthy as men of the same age in the general population...
...study did, however, raise one point of concern: compared with men in the general population, NFL players had higher rates of hypertension, a key risk factor for heart disease and stroke. That's no surprise; the bigger you are, the more likely your blood pressure will nudge higher, say researchers. But Tucker says the findings "really open our eyes to how important it is to monitor blood pressure," along with other factors that may contribute to cardiovascular health such as strength and resistance training, the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and salt intake. Going forward, says Tucker, those behaviors...
Among the issues the new study does not further explore, however, is whether players are able to maintain their health after retirement. In addition to the 15-year-old NIOSH study, a 2008 report by the American Heart Association (AHA) concluded that compared with other men, retired players were more likely to have high cholesterol and impaired fasting glucose despite significantly lower rates of diabetes and hypertension. Although "remaining physically active may help protect against many of the health risks of large body size in former competitive football players," said Dr. Alice Chang, lead author of the AHA study...