Research projects

The information from the repeated medical examinations and the surveys of the participants in the German National Cohort (NAKO) are available in a central database. The data and biological samples can be requested via the application portal NAKO TransferHub for projects that are beneficial to public health. On this page you can discover research projects related to the German National Cohort (NAKO) as well as other NAKO-associated projects.

Focus on the health status of former professional footballers

The SoccHealth football study is an additional project of the German National Cohort on the health status of former professional footballers. It investigates the health status of former professional footballers. How does the physical strain during a sporting career affect health in middle and old age? The general health status and disease prevalence of former professional footballers is compared with that of the general population.

Recruitment was completed in September 2023. A total of 348 former professional footballers aged 40-69 took part in the NAKO examination programme. Of these, 222 also underwent an MRI scan.

The examination data is part of the NAKO TransferHub and can be requested by interested researchers for scientific purposes.

Questions? Please feel free to contact us at transfer@nako.de