Bad news for those who perceive that amateur boxers don’t sustain serious brain injuries. A recent study has shown that despite wearing headgear these amateur boxers suffer the same level of brain damage just like their professional counterparts.
During the course of study, 14 amateur boxers’ cerebrospinal fluid was examined by Max Albert Hietala at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden. Levels of neurofilament define neuronal damage that can be caused. After analyzing these 14 amateur boxers, after a fight, it was found that their levels of neurofilament is four times high in compared to healthy non-athletes. The same level was eight times high in those boxers who took more than 15 high-impact punches on their head.
Vivienne Nathanson, head of science and ethics at the British Medical Association, which is campaigning for a total ban on boxing said:
There is probably no safe dose of blows to the head.
To make the matter worse this high level of neurofilament takes about three months to return to its normal level.
[Source ]
