Playing soccer improves the condition of Type 2 Diabetics

A group of researcher from Denmark suggests that playing soccer is a great way to exercise the heart, reduces blood pressure and increase capacity to among type 2 diabetics. Soccer training also helps in reducing the need for medication.

The article published in Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, tackled how soccer training improves the life of people with type 2 diabetes.

Soccer training helps you feel ten years younger

Jakob Friis Schmidt and Thomas Rostgaard Andersen, both authors of the study, as well as students of Medical Science explained that playing soccer develops the flexibility of the heart, and makes the cardiac tissue efficient than ever before. Simply put, soccer training makes the heart felt like 10 years younger.

Most of the type 2 diabetics’ hearts are not flexible because of the effect of diabetes on the cardiac muscle. This increases the chance for the heart to fail.

Blood pressure drops

When the whole study started, around 60 percent of the participants suffer from high blood pressure. When they were introduced to soccer training, their systolic and diastolic blood pressure reduced by 8 mmHg, which is better than any results from other sports. This effect can only be seen when patients are under medication.

Great functional improvements

After the study, the participants showed 12 percent increased in their maximal oxygen uptake and their exercise capability increased to 42 percent. Scientist believes that an enhanced condition helps people to reduce the risk of cardio diseases.