This popular sport is linked to an increased risk of dementia

Researchers from the University of Auckland have found a link between playing high -level rugby and an increased risk of developing dementia.

A new study by the University of Auckland revealed that men who played rugby at a high level in New Zealand are faced with a 22% larger probability Alzheimer’s Disease or other dementia later in life in relation to men of the general population.

Research was jointly led by Dr. Stephanie d’Ebuza, lecturer at the University’s compass research center within the Faculty of Arts and Education, and Dr. Ken Quarrie de la Nouvelle-Zéland Rugby.

To investigate the long-term impact of the practice of sport, the team analyzed the health files of nearly 13,000 men who had participated in provincial or higher level rugby between 1950 and 2000. Their results were compared to a group of 2.4 million New Zealand men of the same age, ethnicity and the same place of birth.

During the 35 -year follow -up period (1988 to 2023), around 52 men per 1,000 in the general population were diagnosed or died of a neurodegenerative condition. Among the former rugby players, however, the figure increased to 65 per 1,000, according to the student in the doctorate of the main author Francesca Anns.

“These are 13 additional cases for 1,000 people during the study period, or about four cases of additional neurodegenerative disease per year, given the size of the players’ cohort,” she said.

Players and games positions

And she says that international / professional and provincial / first -class amateur players had higher risks than the general population, although the risks are higher in terms of play.

“Our analysis also showed that players from Backline positions had greater risks than attackers, with the risk of back increasing more they played or more the matches they played, an unclear model for the advantages.”

Anns says that the increased risk of illness generally becomes obvious from the age of 70, without any evidence of a previous disease.

The co-directed investigator, Dr. Stephanie d’Ebouza, says that these results are consistent with research on other collision sports in the United States, Scotland and Italy, but the effect sizes in their study were slightly smaller than most of the previous reports.

“This can reflect the differences in the way in which the study was designed,” she says, “including the size and composition of our comparison group, the fact that our study included provincial and international actors, rather than only elite professionals, and the way in which cases have been identified, as well as differences in the way rugby was played in New Zealand in the decades that we have studied.”

Implications for players safety

The study is part of the Kumanu Tāngata project, which focuses on the study of long -term health results of first -class rugby players using identified linked data, which means that names are deleted.

This adds to increasing evidence connecting collision sports to brain health risks later, supposed to be due to an exposure to heads, explains Souza.

“Although research cannot prove causality, the coherent scheme through several studies reinforces the case of a connection. In this study, higher risks have been observed in players who contributed at the international or professional level, compared to those who only played provincial, and for the backs whose risk increased with more years and played matches.”

She says that these models showing a higher risk with greater intensity and a longer duration of play suggest a possible “dose-response” relationship.

“The differences in position also indicate that the nature of contact, and not only the number of head impacts, can be important to understand the risks.”

Study authors recommend that collision sports organizations limit the exhibition of players to head impacts and proactively manage the suspected brain concussions, while continuing to openly communicate on the advantages and risks of participation in sports such as rugby.

Reference: “Neurodegenerative Diseases among old rugby players in New Zealand Male” by Francesca Anns, Kenneth L. Quarrie, Barry J. Milne, Chao Li, Andrew J. Gardner, Ian R. Murphy, Evert Vergen, Craig Wright, Susan Mb Morton, Thomas Lumley, Lynette Tippett and Stephanie d’ouza, September 4, Lynette Tippett and Stephanie d’Ebouza, September 4, Lynette Tippett and Stephanie d’Ebuza, September 4, Lynette Tippett and Stephanie d’ifa, September 4, Lynette Tippett and Stephanie d’Esza, September 4. Sports medicine.
DOI: 10.1007 / S40279-025-02299-Y

This study was supported by World Rugby Limited and New Zealand Rugby Foundation. Statistics New Zealand and its staff granted researchers access to the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), a large research database which contains anonymous microdia on people and households in New Zealand.

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