A Legacy

For consequences of playing in the NFL, consult the February 20, 2019, of The New York Times article, “The NFL’s Other Scourge: Obesity.”  This article focused on problems other than head trauma or the use of opioids. According to the data, former lineman compared with other football players and with the general population, had higher rates of hypertension, obesity, and sleep apnea. These conditions often lead to chronic fatigue, poor diet and even death.

It’s obvious that the NFL lineman of today are larger and have been given the message since high school that size matters. The Living Heart Foundation found that roughly 2/3 of former players had a body mass index [BMI] above 30 [moderately obese] and a third of those screened were at 35 BMI [significantly obese]. As a consequence of weight gain, the American Journal of Medicine reported that for every 10 pounds a football player gained from high school to college or from college to the professional level, the risk of heart disease rose 14%, compared with players whose weight changed little.

Sleep apnea was described as when a person’s breathing repeatedly stops and starts because the muscles in the neck, press against the breathing passage during sleep. This is troublesome for former lineman. They have large necks and as they age, their throat tissue becomes flabby, so their tongues block their airways. Sleep apnea has been associated with producing more sugars, which can cause type II diabetes which leads to overeating.

Overeating is a constant battle, especially for lineman who maintained and added weight by eating unhealthy food at all hours of the day and night. They have reinforced, over many years, poor and disastrous eating habits, making it difficult for them to change. The result has been a preponderance of diabetes and heart conditions for these players.

To Be Continued