Friday, June 08, 2007
Beckham will clock up thousands of air miles if he continues to play for England while with the LA Galaxy.
And aviation health expert Farrol Kahn warned: "It puts him in the high risk category for getting deep-vein thrombosis (DVT).
This shoddy journalistic effort comes from the BBC, which is dissapointing. For those of you who are unaware, English soccer star David Beckham is transferring this summer from Real Madrid to the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer. This past week, he was recalled into the English international side. Now "experts" are worried about his health from flying back and forth from London to LA.
DVT is a serious condition, and it can be brought on by long flights but not in the way scientists used to believe.
Reduced air pressure and oxygen levels experienced on long-haul flights do not increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a study suggests.
Researchers who simulated air travel found the risk of blood clots in the legs was chiefly caused by sitting down for too long.
They said this highlighted the danger of all kinds of travel, not just air, which involve long periods of inactivity.
Basically, the people who are in economy class with squeezed in legs and little room to stretch are the ones who suffer. It's not the flying that gets you, it's being packed in like a sardine.
David Beckham can eliminate this risk, by having his wife Posh Spice only book him first class tickets, turning his seat into a recliner while enjoying some luxury amenities in the front of the plane. He might fly in a private plane with a jet with a bed, (he can afford it) and snooze his way down towards the Thames.
The BBC should be ashamed of itself. It is thought of as a serious news organization. This is pablum mixed with broad sheet alarmism.
The Beckhams are a tabloid couple, and David Beckham's two assist game against Estonia on Wednesday had editors in England scrambling for story lines about Becks to feed their voracious readers. This story is weak, based on a misleading application of science, and the BBC should issue a correction and/or an apology for trying to grab readers by pretending David Beckham is high risk for dying. Thousands of business travelers do this commute every week. They are doing just fine.
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