F-MARC funds more 'soccer and health' research

18 December 2008

It’s fun, healthy and practicable to play soccer, shows research from the Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Copenhagen. The project has received international attention and in 2008 F-MARC (Medical Assessment and Research Centre of FIFA) co-funded a series of follow-up projects examining health benefits of football and jogging for young and middle-aged men and women with hypertension and other life style-related diseases.

The studies were conducted well and the submission process is running as scheduled and F-MARC has now donated additional DKK 1 million to more research lead by Professor Peter Krustrup and his colleague Professor Jens Bangsbo from the research group, “Integrated Physiology” at the Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Copenhagen.

The project in Copenhagen covers:

• An examination of the long-term cardio-vascular and musculo-skeletal health effects of regular participation in football and jogging for premenopausal untrained women
• An examination whether regular football training is as efficient in the treatment of hypertension as standardized medical treatment for untrained middle-aged men

According to the researchers, these investigations will form a solid base for scientific recommendations to the approximately 500,000,000 people that plays soccer worldwide, and at the same time be an inspiration to the many people of all ages that do not get enough exercise. In addition to this, the research may be a relevant throw-in in the debate on how companies can organize exercise at the workplace.