Of course sport is good for you!
Even contact sport offers up the benefits of exercise.
Caution only with the recent spate of evidence regarding brain injuries and concussions.
Take the latest edition of the journal Cerebral Cortex (May 2010). Tremblay et al have a paper discussing a neuro-imaging investigation of brains of those whom had experienced concussions during their sporting lives, and those whom had never experienced any head-related injury Cerebral Cortex May 2010 Tremblay et al abstract.
The study concludes that otherwise healthy former athletes whom had concussive events and other associated manifestations demonstrated brain anomalies and patterns of decline. These areas included memory areas such as the hippocampus, but also cognitive regions too.
This follows up the study in 2009 in the Brain Journal (Brain. 2009 Mar;132(Pt 3):695-708. Epub 2009 Jan 28) that demonstrated that neuropsychological and motor alterations more than three decades after concussions occured providing some more evidence to the chronicity of cognitive and motor system changes.
However there is suggestion that as long as there is continuing brain functional activity then there may not be any significant reason for those involved in sport to worry.
Kevin Guskiewicz from the University of North Carolina is a leading author and expert in the field with a MacArthur 'Genius Grant' in 2011 for his work in sport-related concussion. He has stated that there should not be too much concern for small episodic concussions, and that brain training and puzzles may be methods of reducing the effects of premature ageing in the brain.
Which should be reassuring-exercise and sport is, after all, generally really good for you!
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