{"id":741,"date":"2010-03-07T20:13:01","date_gmt":"2010-03-07T20:13:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/sciencenews\/?p=741"},"modified":"2010-03-07T20:13:01","modified_gmt":"2010-03-07T20:13:01","slug":"kicking-it-to-good-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/sciencenews\/2010\/03\/07\/kicking-it-to-good-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Kicking it to good health"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Abby Larson<\/em><\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Photo from the study of women and soccer. Credit: Mikal Schlosser <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

In European countries, soccer is not just a sport; it\u2019s a lifestyle. Now, soccer has joined the side of science.<\/p>\n

Led by Professors Peter Krustrup and Jens Bangsbo at the University of Copenhagen\u2019s Department of Exercise and Sports Sciences<\/a>, over 50 researchers from 7 countries are finding out the benefits of soccer from a physical, psychological, and social perspective. Numerous articles will be published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science<\/em> in Sports<\/a> on the effects of soccer on bone mass and bone density, standing postural balance, and muscle strength. \u00a0 All of these can help reduce falls and bone fractures, especially in the elderly.<\/p>\n

One of the studies <\/a>had women aged 20-47 play soccer twice a week for 14 weeks. At the end of the time period, their leg bones and muscles were significantly denser and stronger. The same women, having never played soccer before, participated in a long term 16-week study showing that whole body bone mineral density was increased. The short and long-term effects found were higher than a similar study on the effects of running on bone and muscle mass. This is due to the combination of sprinting, long distance running, and high forces that act on the legs when cutting in soccer.<\/p>\n

The benefits of soccer are not just for the young and middle aged. A study<\/a> performed by the researchers showed that men in their 70s who have played recreational soccer most of their lives have much better muscle strength and balance than men of the same age who do not play soccer. They even had equal muscle strength and balance compared to untrained men in their 30s.<\/p>\n

This cohort of studies can benefit men and women of all ages. The immediate effects of soccer may be beneficial to women going through menopause at risk for osteoporosis, since it quickly adds bone mineral density to the legs and improves balance. It can prevent falls and fractures in elderly men and women because it increases muscle mass and balance, especially in people who play soccer all their lives.<\/p>\n

Funding for the projects comes from FIFA\u2014Medical Assessment and Research Centre (F-MARC), The Danish Ministry of Culture, TrygFonden, United Federation of Danish Workers (3F), The Danish Football Association, Team Denmark and The Danish Sports Confederation. Future studies by Krustrup and Bangsbo include the effects of soccer on patients with diabetis and cancer, long-term effects on osteoporosis, and the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal effects on kids in youth soccer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Abby Larson In European countries, soccer is not just a sport; it\u2019s a lifestyle. Now, soccer has joined the side of science. Led by Professors Peter Krustrup and Jens Bangsbo at the University of Copenhagen\u2019s Department of Exercise and Sports Sciences, over 50 researchers from 7 countries are finding out the benefits of soccer … Continue reading Kicking it to good health<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":269,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2075],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-brain-and-body"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/sciencenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/sciencenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/sciencenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/sciencenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/269"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/sciencenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=741"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/sciencenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/741\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/sciencenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/sciencenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/sciencenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}