Five scientific articles will appear in Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports showing that regular participation in soccer increases both bone mass and bone density, causes a significant improvement in standing postural balance and improves muscle strength. Together, these effects reduce the risk of falls and bone fractures. The articles come as a result of an extensive research project from the University of Copenhagen studying the effects of soccer on muscle strength, postural balance, bone mineral density, and reflex response to a sudden push in the back among adult women and men.

According to project leader Peter Krustrup, associate professor in the Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, the observed improvements in bone mineral density, strength, and postural balance due to recreational soccer are of particular interest for a large group of women but also for elderly men.

"It is well known that the risk of falls and fractures increases with age as a result of weaker bones, poorer balance, and attenuated ability to trigger rapid muscle force, but the present results suggest that soccer—and possibly other ball games—is an effective training method to reduce bone weakening that comes with increasing age," Krustrup said.

One 14-week study in the research project had women 20 to 47 years of age train for soccer twice a week. The study participants (who had never before played soccer) showed marked increases in bone density in the left and right tibia. The soccer training resulted in an elevated mass of the calf muscle, greater muscle strength, and an improved balance. A 16-months training intervention for the same subject group showed that prolonged soccer training for untrained premenopausal women elevates whole-body bone mineral density. The short- and long-term training effects on bone mineral density were greater for the soccer players than for a similar group of runners and an inactive control group.

"During soccer training and games, the players perform many sprints, turns, kicks, and tackles. This combination of actions help achieve a variable bone impact that appears to provide a better stimulus to bone mineralization than running," Krustrup said.

The postural balance, muscle mass, and leg bone mass were improved in untrained men 20 to 40 years of age who participated in small-sided soccer games for 1 hour two to three times a week for 12 weeks. No effects occurred for the inactive control group. In a follow-up study on long-term effects of soccer for men, it was demonstrated that 64 weeks of training have an additional effect on both muscle mass and leg bone mineral density.

The research group also examined muscle function and postural balance in a group of men 65 to 75 years of age who had played recreational soccer most of their lives and compared the values with a group of men at the same age without specific training and a group of 30-year-old untrained men.

"The research shows that 70-year-old men, who have played soccer most of their lives on a recreational basis, have just as good a balance and rapid muscle strength as untrained 30-year-olds and much better balance and muscle strength than their peers," Krustrup said.

Source: ScienceDaily