Plasma antioxidants are strongly affected by iron-induced lipid peroxidation in rats subjected to physical exercise and different dietary fats.

Plasma is an important vehicle through which antioxidant molecules are conveyed and in which they may show different behaviors, either acting as a protective factor for oxidative damage to different blood elements or using it as a vehicle through which dietary antioxidant factors would be distributed to the body. The aim of the study was to determine the plasma level of vitamin E, coenzyme Q, uric acid and vitamin A and their relation with the cellular oxidative damage mediated by physical training and the ingestion of different fat (virgin olive and sunflower oils). Male Wistar rats were divided into 8 subgroups based on the dietary fat intake and their physical activity. Results show that both dietary fat and physical training affect susceptibility to iron-induced lipid peroxidation in plasma and the tissues that were studied. The increase of this lipid peroxidation parallels a decrease of the level of all the plasma antioxidants that were studied.