Document Type : Original Article
Author
Abstract
Oxidative stress is a physiological imbalance caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and the body's capacity to neutralize or detoxify them. Postmenopausal women are one of the many demographic groups impacted by oxidative stress. This study aimed to evaluate oxidative stress in postmenopausal women and compare it with fertile women. A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted on 50 Iraqi women from the city of Shatrah, Iraq, of which 25 were postmenopausal women with an age range of 46-51 years and 25 fertile women with an age range of 40-45 years. The results indicated a highly significant increase (p<0.01) in MDA levels and body fat percentage and a highly significant decrease (p<0.01) in SOD and CAT levels in postmenopausal women compared to fertile women, while there was a non-significant difference (p>0.05) in GPX levels. Regarding the correlation between oxidative stress parameters and body fat percentage, the results showed a positive significant correlation with MDA (r= 0.5, p= 0.012) and a negative significant correlation with SOD (r= -0.444, p= 0.026) and CAT (r= -0.575, p= 0.002), while there was a non-significant correlation with GPX (r= -0.257, p= 0.214). The study concluded that postmenopausal women suffer from an increased level of oxidative stress, which makes them more susceptible to several diseases such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders.
Keywords
)