A recently published study in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that former high school football players 64-years and older in Wisconsin have no more decrease in cognition or mental health later in life than others.

The research concluded that cognitive and depression in later stages of life were similar for individuals that played football in the mid-1950s and those that did not play the sport. The study conceded the risks of playing football in 2017 may be different than those in the 1950s, but the risks of head trauma in high school football are similar.

Read the full article:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/2635831?resultClick=1

The recent research is more good news for participation in high school football. In 2016, the Mayo Clinic published a study that found varsity football players from 1956 to 1970 did not have an increased risk of degenerative brain diseases, compared with athletes in other varsity sports.

Read the full Mayo article:  https://www.wiaawi.org/News/NewsReleases/tabid/113/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/10454/Mayo-Clinic-Study-School-Football-Does-Not-Increase-Risk-of-Degenerative-Brain-Diseases.aspx