Research

Hormonal

High-intensity aerobic exercise (75% VO2max) increases markers of oxidative stress (8-OHdG and MDA-LDL) without improving endothelium-dependent vasodilation.

If you exercise at high intensity (75% of your max capacity), be aware that it may increase oxidative stress in your body. While this doesn't necessarily mean you are harming your health, it does not provide the same endothelial benefits as moderate exercise. For optimal vascular health, moderate intensity is preferred.

GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
High-intensity exercise increases plasma concentrations of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (from 6.7±1.1 to 9.2±2.3 ng/mL; P<0.05) and serum concentrations of malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein (from 69.0±19.5 to 82.4±21.5 U/L; P<0.05)... whereas moderate exercise tended to decrease both indices of oxidative stress.
Chikara Goto et al. · Circulation · 2003

Why this rating

Clear measurement of oxidative stress markers with statistical significance, though limited to a specific high-intensity group.

Source

Effect of Different Intensities of Exercise on Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilation in Humans

Chikara Goto et al. · Circulation · 2003

DOI 10.1161/01.cir.0000080893.55729.28

rct · n=26Cited 610×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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