Written By: Nirmalya Dutta | Updated : June 20, 2018 2:28 PM IST
The World Cup fever has truly set in and while we wait for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar to work their magic on the grandest stage on earth, football or as the Americans call it soccer, has immense potential to counter the global obesity pandemic. For older men who have never played soccer, it's probably not too late to learn and reap the numerous health benefits, according to researchers who watched a small group of seniors become remarkably fitter. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen divided 27 men between the ages of 63 and 70 into groups in which they practiced either soccer or strength training twice a week for an hour. A third group remained inactive for control purposes.
Overall results showed the soccer players made a 30 percent improvement in muscle function, and oxygen intake capacities increased by 15 percent. There was even improvement in bone mineralization, researchers say, stressing the importance of bone health in the elderly.
Although the strength training group improved their fitness, the soccer players had the best results in terms of maximal aerobic fitness and exhaustive exercise performance.
'The results provide strong evidence that football is an intense, versatile and effective form of training, including for untrained elderly men. It is definitely never too late to start playing football,' says Professor Peter Krustrup of the Copenhagen Centre for Team Sport and Health, University of Copenhagen. 'Football boosts physical capacity and heart health, and minimizes the risk of falls and fractures in elderly, men who have never played football before or have not played for decades.'
Although the players in question are unlikely to become the next center forwards in the World Cup, researchers say their workouts may be approaching those of the stars.
'The players had heart rates that were sky high and corresponded to the values obtained during elite football games,' says Associate Professor Eva Wulff Helge of the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen.
The study was published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports.
Why you should play football
A professional football player covers more than 10 km per game and loses more than 2-3 kilos! While it might be hard for us mere mortals to put in that kind of efforts, there are many, many reasons to start playing the game right now:
It's a great cardiovascular workout
Football is a great cardiovascular workout which requires you to move your feet, increase your upper body strength and run fast. However, unlike regular running, it requires you to sprint and stop and then sprint again which is a great substitute for high intensity interval training. Also it's a lot more fun than running on a treadmill.
It beats stress and promotes teamwork
Football is a team game and the sum of the parts is always greater than the individual players. So playing the game requires people to work together and watch each other's movements. With time people who play together learn what they're going to do which goes a long way in cementing togetherness. Also as a cardiovascular workout, it releases serotonin, testosterone, peptide YY, Irisin, endorphins and other hormones all of which make you happier and healthier!
It improves lower body strength
A study conducted by the University of Copenhagen found that playing football increases lower leg muscles mass, jump height, improves your posture and power. Along with that, it helps create stronger bones which make it less likely to suffer from fractures.
With inputs from AFP
