NFL Study Finds Players Four Times More Likely to Die From Neurodegenerative Diseases but Lower Rates From Cancer and Heart Disease

NFL players are four times more likely than the general population to die of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Parkinson's, according to a study released Wednesday by Mass General Brigham, Boston University and the Concussion & CTE Foundation.

Researchers examined 19,824 athletes who played in the NFL between 1960 and 2019, including the 1,994 who have died. They described the work as the largest retrospective cohort study on the topic to date.

Players who died before age 60 showed 12-fold higher rates of neurodegenerative death than the general population. Skill-position players had a neurodegenerative disease listed as a cause of death at nearly twice the rate of offensive and defensive linemen. The study found consistent results across all eras examined.

NFL players recorded lower death rates from cancer, cardiovascular disease and suicide than national averages. "This is the clearest population-level evidence we have ever had that NFL players are dying due to neurodegenerative disease at real and measurably higher rates," Dr.

Daniel Daneshvar, co-senior author and chair of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School, said in a statement.

Researchers obtained death certificates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Daneshvar noted that such certificates are often imprecise and may list pneumonia while overlooking underlying dementia. A spokesman for the NFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

An ESPN survey of 546 men who played in an NFL game during the 1988 season found that 15 percent said a doctor had diagnosed them with dementia. Daneshvar said the most effective way to lower risk is to reduce total force to the head by changing when athletes start contact sports and how they practice.