Prática Regular Do Futebol: O Alto Rendimento Deste Esporte Está Associado a Danos Genéticos?

Abstract

| Introduction: Studies indicate thatmoderate intensity physical exercises, especially those of endurance, have a preventive effect on cardiovascular diseases. However, other studies show that exercise when practiced at high intensity induces the occurrence of genetic damage, which, in turn, are associated with the malignant transformation process. Objective: To test the hypothesis that football athletes present occurrence of chromosomal damage with greater appearance of micronuclei compared to sedentary individuals or nonprofessional practitioners of physical exercise. Methods: The sample included only males, 18-38 years old, nonsmokers, divided into three groups: Group I, formed by football athletes, members of the same club, subjected to intense physical exercise; Group II, consisting of students from the State University of Feira de Santana, enrolled in the Exercise Program Physical Activity Laboratory; and Group III, formed by individuals of sedentary habits. Results: A total of 52,000 cells were analyzed. The analysis of the differences between the averages calculated micronuclei done using analysis of variance with a classification criterion, showed no significant difference between the group studied (F2,49 = 0.11, p = 0.88). Conclusion: In conclusion, our study showed that the practice of football by high-intensity professional athletes does not cause damage to DNA. Descriptors