Comparsion of Oxidative Stress Index and Plasma Antioxidant Capacity among Female Handball atheletes and Non Athlete Females

Background & aim: Increase of metabolism and production of free radicals during physical activity may lead to several diseases by creating the oxidative stress in the body. The aim of this study was to investigate the oxidative stress index and total antioxidant capacity among athletic and non athletic females. Methods: Subjects of this descriptive - analytical study were 15 healthy female athletes playing handball who regularly had at least 3 training sessions per week, from 6 months before the study, and 15 healthy non athelete females who in the same period had not participated in regular physical activities.The subjects were of 18 -25 years of age. Levels of oxidative stress index were determined by malondialdehyde (MDA) method. The FRAP (Ferric Reducing antioxidant power) method was used to determine the levels of serum total antioxidant capacity. Statistical analyisis of data was performed in both descriptive and inferential statistics. Data were analyzed by using t-test at P 0.05. Results: The results showed that malondialdehyde (MDA) oxidative stress index of handball's athletic girls is significantly (P< 0.01) lower than the non athletes and total antioxidant capacity of the athletes is higher than non athletes, despite the fact that this difference was not significant. Conclusion: The results indicated that continuous and regular exercise can reduce oxidative stress and provide a more healthy life for the female athletes.