Football twice a week 'good for the heart'

04 February 2010

Inactive men can lower their blood pressure and improve their cardiovascular health by playing football just twice a week, new research suggests.

Scientists at the University of Copenhagen led a series of studies into the physical, psychological and social aspects of football, which are soon to be published in a special edition of the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports.

In one of their studies, they looked at inactive men with high blood pressure who were asked to attend football practice twice a week.

After just three months, participants showed significant improvements in their blood pressure reading, resting pulse rate and body fat percentage.

The regime was found to be even more effective than the usual advice to eat healthily and exercise.

Other studies conducted by the group suggest that regular football playing may have a greater effect on a number of cardiovascular risk factors - including heart function, vascular elasticity, blood pressure, cholesterol and fat mass - than strength training and even running.

Lead researcher Peter Krustrup, associate professor at the University of Copenhagen, commented: "Our research shows that soccer is a versatile and intense form of exercise that provides a positive effect on cardiovascular risk factors in a large group of untrained adult men and women.

"Based on the results, soccer can be recommended as part of the treatment for high blood pressure and ... [for the] prevention of cardiovascular diseases."

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