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Researchers from Keele College have revealed that retired Olympic athletes usually tend to develop pores and skin most cancers and osteoarthritis than the overall inhabitants.
Of their paper printed within the journal Sports activities Drugs—Open, Dr. Dale Cooper and Professor Julius Sim got down to examine how prevalent well being situations like most cancers, diabetes, arthritis and coronary heart situations are amongst retired elite sportspeople, given a scarcity of current well being information for this group.
They examined information from a cross-section of 493 retired Olympic athletes from Nice Britain, and in contrast this with an age- and sex-matched group from the overall inhabitants.
Their outcomes indicated that the retired athletes had been extra seemingly than the overall inhabitants to report melanoma or different varieties of pores and skin most cancers, significantly those that competed in out of doors disciplines corresponding to crusing, rowing, or athletics.
Their information additionally indicated that these athletes had been extra prone to undergo from osteoarthritis: a situation that causes irritation and ache throughout the joints. They discovered that there have been 7.8% extra instances of osteoarthritis in retired athletes in comparison with the reference inhabitants.
However regardless of this elevated threat for these situations, the researchers additionally discovered that retired athletes had been considerably much less seemingly than the overall inhabitants to report different well being situations like diabetes, stroke, and bronchial asthma.
The researchers put retired Olympic athletes’ decrease threat of getting a number of situations right down to their superior cardiovascular well being, significantly those that competed in endurance and energy sporting disciplines.
Crude prevalence (%) of multimorbidity by intercourse, 10-year age group, and multimorbidity sort for retired GB Olympic athletes in comparison with the usual inhabitants. Credit score: Sports activities Drugs – Open (2025). DOI: 10.1186/s40798-025-00897-8
Dr. Dale Cooper, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy and lead creator of the paper, stated, “Our research provides a singular perception into the long-term well being of retired Olympic athletes from Nice Britain. Whereas these athletes achieved distinctive bodily efficiency throughout their sporting careers, we discovered they had been extra prone to develop osteoarthritis and pores and skin most cancers than the overall inhabitants. Though the general threat of pores and skin most cancers amongst retired athletes was small, it was extra frequent amongst those that had competed in out of doors sports activities corresponding to crusing, rowing, and athletics.
“There was also a clear health benefit associated with participating in elite sport: both male and female retired Olympic athletes had fewer health conditions overall and better cardiovascular health, particularly those from endurance and power-based sports. Our findings highlight the need for targeted athlete welfare and prevention strategies to reduce the risk of skin cancer and osteoarthritis.”
Dr. Caroline Aylott, Head of Analysis Supply at Versus Arthritis, added, “Osteoarthritis impacts round 10 million folks within the UK, making on a regular basis duties, like working, caring for family members, or just transferring with out ache, extraordinarily tough for a lot of.
“Whereas this new analysis reveals that retired Olympians could face the next threat of growing osteoarthritis, it is essential to notice that this is not about train being dangerous. Quite the opposite, bodily exercise is significant for joint and general well being.
“What this analysis reinforces is that OA isn’t a illness of ‘put on and tear’ and that there are advanced components that may result in the event of the illness. The researchers spotlight that in Olympians that is largely attributable to sports activities associated harm, which is extra frequent inside their occupation, and that harm is a well-established threat issue for later growing OA.
“That is why this work from the Heart for Sport, Train and Osteoarthritis Analysis Versus Arthritis is so essential.
“By deepening our understanding of how osteoarthritis develops, especially following injury, we can accelerate the development of early interventions and push for better injury prevention strategies, not only for Olympic athletes but for everyone. Continued investment in this kind of research is essential if we’re to reduce the burden of osteoarthritis.”
Extra info:
Dale J. Cooper et al, Well being amongst Retired Nice Britain’s Olympic Athletes: A cross-sectional Examine of Illness and Multimorbidity, Sports activities Drugs—Open (2025). DOI: 10.1186/s40798-025-00897-8
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Keele College
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Retired Olympic athletes at larger threat of pores and skin most cancers and osteoarthritis, analysis reveals (2025, September 11)
retrieved 11 September 2025
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