Research projects on the science of aging conducted in the Faroe Islands by Professor Magni Mohr come into the spotlight in the new BBC produced series “Secrets of the Superagers”, presented by Dr Michael Mosley.
In the series, Dr Mosley is traveling the world to meet people who seem to have unlocked the secrets to defying aging. Part two of the six episodes’ series focuses on the Faroese project under the heading Football is Medicine.
The project was originally called Swim and Play and was launched in 2013. 85 middle aged women, who previously hadn’t been physically active, joined a programme with either football, high-intensity swimming, moderate-intensity swimming, or a control group. The focus was on the general health effects from the different types of training.
The project participants continued the football training in a club and have been playing ever since. In 2022 the research team did a follow-up study on the participants which by then had reached the menopause stage. The focus in the BBC program is on the bone health in sedentary middle-aged women transiting to the menopause.