Interrelationships between lipid peroxidation and total antioxidant status in sedentary controls and unprofessional athletes.

We examined the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) as an index of lipid peroxidation, and the total antioxidant status (TAS) in 81 unprofessional athletes subdivided into three subgroups. The first group included 28 subjects who practised endurance sports, the second included 30 subjects who practised mixed sports, the third included 23 subjects who practised power sports. We enrolled also a group of 61 sedentary controls (SC). TBARS were increased and TAS was decreased in the whole group of athletes in comparison with SC; an almost similar behaviour was present also subdividing athletes according to the practised sport. A significant negative correlation between these two parameters emerged in SC but not in the whole group of athletes. Unless for the athletes that practised endurance sports a similar trend was found in athletes that practised mixed and power sports. In conclusion, at rest the symmetrical behaviour between the lipid peroxidation increase and the TAS decrease, observed in sedentary controls, was not evident in unprofessional athletes who practised different sports.