THE BALANCE BETWEEN SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE AND CATALASE ACTIVITIES iN SERA OF OBESE IRAQI MEN

Obesity is a multifaceted disorder stemming from an imbalance in the homeostasis of energy, which leads to an accumulation of excess energy as fat. It has become of increasing concern in the Iraqi population since 2003, when obesity was identified as a significant factor in relation to several diseases. The objective of this study is to investigate the association between oxidative stress and obesity in blood serum of obese Iraqi men.This study was conducted on two different groups with matching age ranges (25-35 years). The obese group consisted of thirty-six obese subjects with varying grades of obesity (BMI 40 ‡ 5 kg/m-). The control group included thirty-six non-obese subjects (BMI 25 ‡ 3 kg/m-). There are two parallel components to this study: The first involves Superoxide dismutase activity, catalase activity and total thiol group levels as a marker of antioxidants. The second involves the end product of lipid peroxidation (MDA) as a marker of oxidative stress.When compared with the control group, SOD, CAT activity, and MDA were significantly increased, whereas ITG was significantly decreased. There is a balance between CAT activity compared with SOD activity and polyunsaturated fatty acids hydroxyl peroxide that play a vital role in the regulation of ROS and the body's defense system in obese men and in the human body in general.