Athletes live healthier, right?

'Exercise is healthy' is an expression you are probably familiar with. We all know that exercising is good for you and part of a healthy lifestyle. People who exercise weekly are less likely to be overweight, smoke less and eat healthier than the average Dutch person. Yet there is one area in which athletes score less well than non-athletes: they drink alcohol relatively more often.

After the Mulier Institute - a foundation for independent sports research - came to this striking conclusion on the basis of research, it decided to zoom in further on the relationship between alcohol, (type of) sports and the experience of health. This study, based on data from the CBS Health Survey, produced some striking conclusions when it comes to weekly athletes and their drinking habits.

Conclusions athletes and alcohol

• Of the weekly athletes, 70% drinks more than one glass per day, compared to 53% of the non (weekly) athlete.
• Of the weekly athletes, the fitness enthusiasts drink the least in proportion. Endurance and indoor athletes drink a bit more than the average athlete.
• Field athletes drink the most (footballers, hockey players, but also tennis players): 82% of field athletes drink more than one glass a day. Field athletes are also more likely to be excessive or heavy drinkers.
• Excessive or heavy drinking occurs as much in athletes as in non-athletes.
• People who feel healthy drink more than one glass of alcohol a day more often than people who feel less healthy.

Source: factsheet 2020/19 Mulier Institute

third half

Various reasons are mentioned that can explain the drinking behavior of field athletes in particular. For example, field sports clubs more often have a canteen. Alcohol is served in 92% of these canteens. Canteens have an important social function, where athletes gather to celebrate a victory or drink away defeat. Furthermore, there is more often a culture in which drinking alcohol is normal. The researchers also mention the influence of advertisements that link sports to alcohol and socializing.

Unhealthy Splurge

It is also interesting to conclude that people who feel healthy drink alcohol more often on a daily basis than people who feel less healthy. It seems that when we feel healthy and exercise regularly, we are more likely to allow ourselves an unhealthy splurge such as a beer or wine.