Effects of physical exercise in pre- and postmenopausal women on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant systems

The effects of moderate physical activity were studied in 19 postmenopausal and 25 premenopausal women on the enzymatic (superoxide dismutase and catalase) and non-enzymatic (vitamins A and E) antioxidant systems and on the processes of lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde), and to see whether there is any variation in oxidative stress indicators between the postmenopausal and non-menopausal women. The subjects were also studied anthropometrically. At the end of a training period, there was a decrease in body fat percentage and in various skin folds. Neither group presented a rise in lipid peroxidation levels, although there was a significant (p<0.05) rise in superoxide dismutase activity in the postmenopausal women.