Study finds travel makes athletes ill

HEALTH BRIEFING: ATHLETES WHO travel long distances to compete double their risk of illness, a BMJ study suggests

HEALTH BRIEFING:ATHLETES WHO travel long distances to compete double their risk of illness, a BMJ study suggests. Researchers say germs and allergens of a new environment have an impact on athletes.

Air travel does not seem to play a part as competitors’ health does not differ from normal on their return home. Prof Martin Schwellnus said: “Changes in air pollution, temperature, allergens, humidity, altitude, different food, germs and culture could all contribute to illness when arriving in a distant destination.”