Danish researchers, in collaboration with the Danish Football Association, have published a white paper that describes football as an effective recipe for the prevention and treatment of lifestyle.
The white paper entitled Football as prevention and treatment – a white paper focused on 10 non -transmitted diseases and risk factors – Compile and presents research and practical experience of more than 20 years to implement recreational training in football in Denmark and in several other countries.
The authors also provide examples of best practices on how recreational training in football can be used as health promotion activity for people who are not trained in life.
Football as a hybrid training for global health
Football training is an excellent example of Exercise is medicine Because it is a hybrid training that combines three types of training – endurance training, training at high intensity intervals and strength training – which makes it an optimal means of improving the musculoskeletal physical form, the metabolic physical form and the cardiovascular form. “”
Professor Peter Krustrup
“Our research shows solid evidence that football training sessions of an hour twice a week are very effective in improving the aerobic form and heart health, and just as effective as pharmacological drugs in lower blood pressure, and an excellent tool for improving postural balance and bone force, thus preventing falls and fractures.”
“In fact, given the enormous popularity of football in the world, it is just to say that the beautiful game is a miracle solution for global health,” said Professor Krustrup.
Football for the prevention and treatment of diseases
In the White Paper, a total of 25 researchers from 12 different research institutions, provide detailed information on the use of football training to combat high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, musculoskeletal disorders, obesity, high cholesterol, breast cancer, prostate cancer and mental health.
The white paper consists of 80 pages, on the basis of years of effort to map and explain the estate. It includes 10 chapters on different lifestyle diseases and their associated risk factors.
The publication also describes how this knowledge can be activated thanks to football concepts based on evidence that can be implemented and extended thanks to a collaboration between researchers, sports organizations, hospitals and health professionals.
Football training as a fun team sport for everyone
“Our research shows that recreational football is a fun and team activity that is fun, motivating and social, and above all, that training effects are completely independent of technical skills and the prior football experience.” said Thomas Rostgaard Andersen, auxiliary professor and co-editor of the White Paper.
“Based on the conclusions of the White Paper, it is reasonable to suggest that health systems could prescribe football not only as a preventive measure and an initial treatment for cardiovascular disease, pre-diabetes and osteoporosis, but also as an essential component of rehabilitation for patients with prostate cancer and prostate cancer and prostate cancer and prostate cancer and prostate cancer and prostate cancer and prostate cancer and prostate cancer and prostate cancer Breast cancer survivors“Said Andersen, and continues,
“One of the studies presented in the White Paper, involving a group of patients with prostate cancer playing football over a period of one year, has shown 40% less admission to the hospital compared to a control group of physically inactive patients in the same age group”.
Developing to have a global impact
The positive effects of recreational football as training method for patient groups have the potential to have an impact on health care providers worldwide.
The Danish Football Association (DBU) has repeatedly invested resources in development collaborations with researchers. This partnership has led to the creation of several projects and initiatives where the concepts of recreational football have helped various populations to improve health and well-being, in particular:
- Football fitness – Use of recreational football for the prevention of lifestyle diseases
- Football for the heart – Use of recreational football to approach cardiovascular diseases
- FC Prostate – Integration of recreational football in the rehabilitation of men undergoing anti-hormonal treatment for prostate cancer
- 11 for health – Use recreational football to improve physical form, well-being and learning among schoolchildren
“These concepts of training based on evidence have great potential of international scale and expansion, and we would be delighted if the concepts of training developed by Dane could help improve health and well-being in other parts of the world,” explains Erik Brøgger Rasmussen, director of Danish Football Association. Researchers have ambitions for more in -depth investigations and a large -scale implementation.
The research and implementation of “Football Fitness” and “11 for health” are supported by the Nordaa Foundation. “11 for health” has also received funding from FIFA. “Football fitness”, “FC Prostate”, and “Football for the Heart” are supported by Trygfonden; “Football for the heart” is supported by the Danish Heart Foundation, and “FC Prostate” is supported by Propa Denmark.
A recipe for modern health promotion
Recreational football can be described as a plan for a new approach to use physical activity for health promotion – a form of exercise which serves both as an effective training tool and a means of promoting well -being and social interaction.
This concept is encapsulated in holistics Football is medicine model, which was fully introduced with the launch of the international Football is medicine Platform in 2018 under the slogan: Football is a drug – it’s time for patients to play!
THE Football is medicine The model provides an educational explanation of the field and can be seen in this short film:
FIM researchers are currently examining training in football as an alternative to the pharmacological treatment of osteopenia, sarcopenia, obesity and type 2 diabetes, and to what extent football can slow organic aging. In addition, they examine if with low intensity intensity, football can be used as an alternative to recreational football, in particular for groups of fragile participants.
THE Football is medicine The platform welcomes annual conferences and currently has around 300 active members of 25 countries, as well as a steering group of 23 members of 16 countries. The 8th annual Football is medicine The conference will take place in Funchal, Madeira, from January 21 to 24, 2026.