Washington, Oct 3 (ANI): A new research has revealed that street football has a positive impact on the health and fitness of homeless people.
According to the research led by the Universities of Exeter and Copenhagen, playing street football two or three times a week could halve the risk of early death in homeless men as they face a much lower-than-average life expectancy usually due to cardiovascular diseases.
Fifty-five homeless men living in Copenhagen were included in a control group or invited to attend four-a-side football training sessions two to three times a week for 12 weeks, for the study.
The result showed that the footballers' average maximal oxygen uptake was increased 11 percent, body fat was reduced by an average of 2.5 percent and LDL-cholesterol was reduced by 6.4 percent.
"Street football for homeless men is very intense and 12 weeks of training significantly improves the fitness and cardiovascular health profile of these men. We also observed a very high attendance rate, which is promising for future adherence to physical activity," Professor Peter Krustrup, lead author of the study said.
"Football seems to be a great type of fitness training for most people. Not only does it encourage varied, intense training, it is social and it can be played anywhere," he added. (ANI)
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