Mechanism of physical exercise increases malondialdehyde levels as a marker of oxidative stress: A systematic review

Abstract

This research aims to find out and measure how physical exercise can increase malondialdehyde levels as a biomarker for oxidative stress. Several journal databases such as Embase, Pubmed, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Scopus were searched for this research. The criteria for this study included papers on oxidative stress, physical exercise, malondialdehyde, and those published within the previous 10 years. The only publications that were rejected for inclusion in this analysis were those published in disreputable journals. Using the Embase, Web of Science, Pubmed, Science Direct, and Scopus databases, a total of 3098 publications were found. From the systematic analysis, researchers collected 10 scientific articles that met the inclusion criteria. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic and Meta‑Analysis (PRISMA) were used in the development of standard operating procedures for the current investigation. The research results show that physical exercise can increase malondialdehyde levels as a biomarker for oxidative stress. However, this increase is a normal physiological response because it triggers and increases antioxidant levels as the body’s defense effort to ward off free radicals. We concluded that physical exercise increases malondialdehyde levels but is also followed by an increase in antioxidant levels as part of the body’s defense system.