Vitamin E, physical exercise and tissue oxidative damage.

Oxidative damage and the role of antioxidants and prooxidants in aerobic metabolism is of great current interest; it spans areas of research such as carcinogenesis, ageing, toxicology and nutrition. We have used Bantin-Kingman female rats for both in vivo and in vitro studies. In these animals we have altered the levels of all-rac-alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) by dietary means and have used physical exercise and visible light exposure to alter oxidative stress. Our results show a progressive and specific increase in the susceptibility of many subcellular membranes to oxidative damage with increasing levels of vitamin E deficiency and/or physical stress. In addition, endurance training raised the levels of antioxidative enzymic pathways in both skeletal and cardiac muscle.