Oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokines and body composition of master athletes: The interplay

Unhealthy aging is associated with increased adiposity, inflammation and oxidative stress (OS), but the interactions between them have been poorly investigated in people growing old under vigorous lifelong exercise regimens. Therefore, we compared and analyzed the relationships between markers of inflammation, OS and adiposity in master athletes (MA), young (YC) and middle-aged controls (MC). Fifty-nine participants (MA, n = 30, 51.56 +/- 8.61 yrs, minimum of 20 yrs of training; YC, n = 17, 22.70 +/- 3.92 yrs; MC, n = 12, 45.54 +/- 9.86 yrs) underwent body composition measurements, blood sampling for inflammation and OS measurements, and provided information regarding general health and training status. The MA and YC demonstrated higher catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and higher CAT/TBARS (TBARS: thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) and SOD/TBARS ratios. The cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-6, and their soluble receptors sTNF-RI and sIL-6R were lower in YC compared to MC and MA (p < 0.05). Moreover, MA showed lower levels of sTNF-RI, IL-6 and sIL-6R and higher IL-10 and IL-10/IL-6 ratio compared to MC (p < 0.05). The body fat was negatively associated with antioxidant enzymes (CAT: r = - 0.448 and SOD: r = - 0.413) and IL10 (r = - 0.585) and positively correlated with pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha: r = 0.278; sTNF-RI: r = 0.709; IL-6: r = 0.720: sIL-6R: r = 0.430) (p < 0.05). Further, CAT and SOD activities were inversely associated with inflammatory parameters (sTNF-RI, IL-6 and sIL-6R; p < 0.05). In conclusion, markers of OS and inflammation did not differ between MA and YC and were associated with adiposity. Moreover, MA were leaner than MC, similarly to YC. Thus, lifelong training clearly attenuates inflammation, OS, and adiposity, supporting an attenuated and healthy aging.