Mike Garrett…Deron Cherry. Two Kansas City Chiefs legends. They, along with 30 other former NFL greats, are receiving comprehensive health screenings at The University of Kansas Health System on Saturday, March 23. The screenings include blood lab, blood pressure, body composition and other testing to assess heart disease risks. The screenings are provided by the Living Heart Foundation, a national organization dedicated to providing these services to specific groups that have been traditionally overlooked, especially high school, college and professional athletes. The foundation was started by retired cardiac surgeon Archie Roberts, MD, who is also a retired NFL quarterback.

            Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans and approximately 50 million people suffer from metabolic syndrome. After retirement, NFL linemen, generally the heaviest players, are more than twice as likely to have metabolic syndrome than the public or other players. Metabolic syndrome is a condition where a person has three or more of the following: abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides (blood fats) and low HDL (good) cholesterol. The former players undergo a three-hour screening including health education and more than a dozen medical tests.

            In the video, Barbara MacArthur, vice president of cardiac services at The University of Kansas Health System, talks about the event and the types of screenings. She also explains why former pro football players are good candidates for the screenings, and why these kinds of screenings are a good idea for those of us who are not former football players.

            Also on the video, Dr. Archie Roberts, founder of the Living Heart Foundation. He talks about the personal medical incident that prompted him to start his program 16 years ago, and which has now screened more than 3,000 former NFL players. He also describes why former NFL players are most prone to health problems after their playing days, and why it’s important for all of us, athletes or not, to know our bodies and to get routine medical screenings no matter what age.