CrossFit participation and medication use: Observations from a UK population survey

Chronic diseases, responsible for 74% of global mortality, impose a substantial health burden. This study investigates the perceived effects of CrossFit, a form of functional training, on medication use in the UK population. The research aims to provide insights into how CrossFit might relate to medical interventions for individuals with long-term health conditions. The study, encompassing 1,211 UK residents (over 18yrs.) recruited via CrossFit Affiliates, involved a 14-question online survey covering information pertaining to participants’ training background, medication use, medical interventions as well as specific comments relating to the impact of CrossFit on participants overall health. Following engagement in CrossFit training, a 54% reported reduction in medication usage was observed. This included 69 participants discontinuing medication and 82 reporting significantly reducing medication use within the first 6 months. Younger age groups (20-39 years) showed greater medication reduction, with 43% of those aged 20-29 reducing medication by over half and 27% eliminating it entirely. In the 30-39 age group, 29% eliminated medication and 20% reduced it significantly. Older age groups also saw reductions, though less pronounced. A Spearman's rank correlation identified a strong positive correlation between age and reductions to medication usage r(1137) = 0.110, p = 0.001. Further analysis of CrossFit training history indicated that neither CrossFit training age, nor CrossFit training frequency impacted perceptions of medication usage (r(1137) = -0.051, p = 0.085 and r(1137) = -0.043, p = 0.150) suggesting that participants did not need to be experienced or frequent CrossFit participants to experience the perceived benefits when it came to reducing medication use. Antidepressants, asthma inhalers, and painkillers were the most common medications used. Forty percent of all participants also reported fewer medical appointments, with this figure rising to 43% among those who were on medication before starting CrossFit. CrossFit training years and training frequency did not significantly correlate with whether participants reduced medical appointments or not (r(1137) = -0.034, p = 0.248, r(1137) = -0.032, p = 0.275) indicating that neither training history nor frequency impacted the perceived benefits of CrossFit training when associated with medical intervention. Seventy-one respondents reported cancelling or postponing surgeries due to the benefits of CrossFit, of these 55% reported reduced symptoms and 31% reported no longer needing surgery. A chi-squared test was conducted to explore the relationship between session frequency and medication reduction, which suggested a potential association; however, the result was not statistically significant (χ² = 12.72, df = 12.59, p = 0.10). Overall, CrossFit participants reported reduction in medication usage, medical appointments, and surgical intervention needed.