Oxidative stress, redox state and antioxidant supplementation in physical exercise and professional sports: A brief review

Oxidative stress is a process involved in many physiological and pathological situations. In recent years, many studies have only focused on the role of oxidative stress in physical exercise and professional sport, paying attention to how the redox state is differently balanced according to the type of sport and to the duration of the training. In fact, many studies have correlated high levels of oxidative stress with increased muscle injuries and early atherosclerosis in athletes. Alongside the study of pathophysiological processes linked to the oxidative stress in physical exercise, great interest has been aroused by antioxidant supplementation in athletes to increase the performance and reduce the risk of injury. Several studies have shown that different antioxidant molecules have different effects on athletes, depending on the sport and intensity of training. This review analyzes the role of oxidative stress in physical exercise and tries to characterize how antioxidants can be useful or harmful in athletes