Müslüm GÖK, Kazım Can AYTAMUR, Mustafa Utku SARI, Serkan AKSU, Gönül Babayiğit İREZ, Kemal GÖRAL
Acta Medica - 2026;57(3):238-245
Objectives: Physical activity's impact on oxidant production and defense systems varies based on its level, duration, and intensity. This research examines lipid oxidation, protein oxidation, and thiol-based antioxidant defense markers in the blood of amateur soccer players and sedentary men. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we assessed 24 healthy sedentary men and 21 amateur male football players. Serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), total thiol, and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) were measured and adjusted for protein content. Results: Football players had non-significantly lower MDA levels than sedentary controls, indicating a descriptive trend towards reduced lipid peroxidation (p = 0.0614). Non-significantly lower AOPP levels were also observed in the football group (p = 0.2023), suggesting a descriptive trend towards reduced protein oxidation. Football players had slightly but non-significantly higher total thiol levels (p = 0.3337), indicating a possible trend towards increased thiol-based antioxidant capacity. In conclusion, these findings suggest that individuals who exercise regularly may have a more favourable redox profile, although the differences did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: The oxidative stress profile of amateur football players showed favorable but statistically non-significant trends compared with sedentary men. The combined serum levels of MDA, AOPP, and total thiol suggest that regular football training may be associated with positive changes in redox balance; however, these findings should be interpreted with caution as the differences did not reach statistical significance.
