A new study by researchers at Imperial College London has discovered that footballers are more likely to suffer high rates of depression caused by recurrent head impacts, resulting in risks of dementia.

Researchers said the study was designed to determine whether reducing repeated head impacts could lower the risk of dementia and to assess younger athletes rather than wait until they were older. 

The study examined 142 retired British players between the ages of 30 and 60, and compared them with 56 healthy people with no history of contact sports, military service, or concussions.

It found symptoms of depression in 31 per cent of these retired players, compared with nine per cent of the control group.

Researchers also reported that 42 per cent of retired footballers had anxiety, compared to 25 per cent of those in the control group.

MRI brain scans, questionnaires, and tests were carried out to analyse 124 retired footballers and 40 non-footballers who qualified for the tests, comparing grey matter volumes across different brain regions. 

Two per cent of the former sportsmen showed signs of brain shrinkage, which could indicate brain deterioration. 

The findings, however, did not discover any direct links to Alzheimer’s disease, which is a progressive disease that gradually causes memory loss and progresses to people failing to reason, speak, and perform their daily activities.