High school football isn’t linked to brain problems later on — if you played in the 1950s
There’s no end to headlines about the dangers of head injuries in football. But a new study suggests that high school football, at least, was not associated with cognitive problems — like having trouble remembering words or letters — later in life. The new study isn’t the last word on the dangers of football, especially for kids, but it shows that more research needs to be done.
Researchers looked at long-term survey data from men who graduated high school in Wisconsin in 1957; some had played high school football, some hadn’t. Playing the sport didn’t lead to cognitive impairment at age 65, according to a study published today in JAMA Neurology. In fact, the football players were even slightly less likely to have depression.
Football…
