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Amateur boxers are exposing themselves to twice the risk of dementia, scientists warned yesterday.
They called for punches to the head to be banned to cut the toll of brain injuries.
The study by Cardiff University was based on the health records of 1,123 men in nearby Caerphilly.
Of the 73 who had boxed seriously, a third showed signs of dementia between the ages of 75 and 89.
Compared with non-fighters, this made them twice as likely to experience some level of cognitive impairment, and three times as likely to have signs of Alzheimer's.
Amateur boxers are exposing themselves to twice the risk of dementia, scientists warned as they called for punches to the head to be banned to cut the toll of brain injuries (stock image)
The study, published in the journal Clinical Sports Medicine, will add to mounting evidence about the links between sport and dementia.
Two years ago, a major study found that footballers are three times more likely to die from dementia.
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