Former footballers have three and a half times the highest risk of dying of...

Glasgow University experts have examined whether there is a link between hitting a ball with head and brain damage.

The investigation began after releaseing information that former West Bromwich Albion football player Jeff Astl had died of a head injury.

During research, scientists compared the cases of 7,676 deaths of former football players to 23,000 cases in the general population.

Men who played professional football in Scotland between 1900 and 1976 have been analyzed.

The long - awaited study was conducted by the Scotland Football Federation and the Professional Football Association.

The study began in January and was directed by neuropatologist Willie Stewart.

He said former football players have five times as likely to have Alzheimer's, four times as predisposed to be affected by motor diseases and twice as likely to have Parkinson's.

At the same time, research has shown that former footballers are in lower risk than the rest of the population when it comes to death from heart disease and lung cancer, Kosova Prees broadcasts.

Stewart said that this is, so far, the largest study addressing many details of neurodegenerative diseases, not only in professional football players, but in general in sports.

The link between sports and neurodegenerative diseases has been debated for years, but until this study it was not quite clear whether there was evidence of a growing former footballer's risk.

Gordon Taylor, the first man of the Football Professional Association, believes the results of this study are very important for all players.

It is now important that all in the football world are united in war. The search must be continued to provide more accurate answers to those that need to be addressed and reduce risk factors,” said Taylor.