Some of the globe’s top athletes are poised to show off their super-fit frames as the World Cup kicks off from June 11.
Players can burn off more than 1500 calories in a game and run 10k. But what effect does the beautiful game have on our health and fitness as fans?
Here James Moore reveals a supporter’s health guide to the tournament by body part…
Your head
Football can mess with your emotions, but research shows that bonding with other fans can reduce feelings of loneliness and boost self-esteem.
A Japanese study found that watching live sport “fosters a sense of community and belonging” while a Smart Energy GB poll found that fans found it was a good environment in which to share worries.
In one survey, half of supporters said that watching sport had helped boost their mental health and it has been shown that the feel-good factor from a win can last for 24 hours after the match.
However, a study from the University of Sussex found that the psychological pain felt by football fans after a defeat is more than double the joy of winning.
A study by scientists at Nottingham Trent University said fans who played fantasy football a lot were more likely to suffer low mood and anxiety.
Your heart
We all know that the rollercoaster of watching our team during a match can get our heart racing and boffins have proved that the stress can take a toll on tickers.
In fact, a German study found that for blokes, the risk of having a heart attack or another cardiovascular problem was three times higher on days when the home side was playing.
Another study, by scientists at the University of Oxford, tested fans’ saliva and found that levels of the stress hormone cortisol spiked when they watched their side lose, potentially increasing blood pressure.
However, the raise in heart rate could also act as a workout, according to research at the University of Leeds, and watching a team win can even help lower blood pressure.
Your belly
Could the World Cup be bad for your waistline? One 2010 study found that, while watching a match on telly, a fan will typically drink four cans of beer and snacks amounting to 2000 calories, while another survey found that we’ll chalk up an extra 340 calories during each game, gaining five lbs over the course of the tournament.
Whether you win or lose could have a big impact though. A 2013 study found that, for supporters on the losing side, their post-game comfort eating increased the number of calories they ate by ten per cent, while those on the winning side consumed five per cent fewer.
But you could be in for a bonus from all the cheering, with 59 per cent of fans feeling like they’ve had a workout, according to a poll. Plus, research by Loughborough University found that fans burn an average of 540 calories watching a 90-minute match – that’s more than in a Big Mac burger and the equivalent of an hour’s run.
Your privates
It’s official, sex is good for you, with studies showing that it can boost heart health and general wellbeing. So, what’s the impact of watching the footie on your libido?
A recent survey for Swedish sex toy company Lelo found that a third of fans say a win improves their sex lives thank to the euphoria, with many comparing a goal to the feeling of an orgasm. Some 16 per cent have even use half-time to have a quickie.
But a study of football fans reported in the European Journal of Population, found that a shock defeat in a game, a common occurrence for England and Scotland supporters, can have the opposite effect, reducing action in the bedroom so much that they found it leads to lower birth rates nine months later.
Your legs
Feel inspired? Having a kickabout with some pals to recreate those moments you’ve seen at the World Cup could be the perfect way to burn off some of the extra calories you’re consuming from all that food and beer. You can work off 400 calories in an hour, the same as a couple of pints.