NFL Players At Risk Of Hypertention, Diabetes

Boston (HealthKnowItAll) - Players in the National Football League (NFL) are at a greater risk of having high blood pressure, say the authors of a new study.

NFL players come in a wide array of shapes and sizes, factors which in turn, dictate the position on the football field that they play.

Receivers are usually tall, lean and fast, while quarterbacks are of a similar stature, characteristics that help them avoid being crushed.

Speaking of being crushed, lineman play in the trenches and have either the job of protecting the quarterback, or if on defense, killing the quarterback.

It is these huge linemen, who can sometimes weigh more than 350 pounds that according to researchers from Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore are at health risk.

The researchers collected data on 504 players from 12 NFL teams back in 2007 to look for any dangerous health trends.

The findings showed that some NFL players were up to twice as likely as normal sized men to have high blood pressure and were far more at risk for developing diabetes.