Professional football players in the NFL are four times more likely to develop and die from ALS than the adult male population, according to new research.
Scientists at Boston University’s CTE Center, who conducted the study released Wednesday, said they couldn’t determine exactly why the rate was higher for those athletes but suggested that repetitive head impacts and traumatic brain injuries may play a role.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with no known cure. ALS has been linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, another degenerative brain disease found in many former football players.
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