Ozan, MuratBuzdagli, YusufBaygutalp, Nurcan KilicYuce, NeslihanBaygutalp, FatihBakan, Ebubekir2026-03-262026-03-2620221010-660X1648-914410.3390/medicina580506082-s2.0-85129771580https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina58050608https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14901/1869Baygutalp, Fatih/0000-0002-7344-584X; Buzdağli, Yusuf/0000-0003-1809-5194; Kilic Baygutalp, Nurcan/0000-0002-3584-5252Background and Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the combined acute and long-term effects of exposure to blows and exercise on serum BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and selenium levels. Materials and Methods: Serum BDNF and selenium levels were determined in 40 male elite athletes before and after vigorous exercise (training match) with a probability of exposure to blows and in 10 sedentary men subjected to exercise (Astrand running protocol). Results: Serum BDNF levels were found 11.50 +/- 3.50 ng/mL before exercise and 14.02 +/- 3.15 ng/mL after exercise in the athlete group (p = 0.02), and 12.18 +/- 4.55 ng/ mL and 11.74 +/- 2.48 ng/ mL before and after exercise in the sedentary group, respectively (p = 0.873). Serum BDNF (pre-exercise, baseline) levels were slightly lower in the athlete group than those in the sedentary group (11.50 +/- 3.50 and 12.18 +/- 4.55 ng/mL, respectively, p = 0.796). Pre-exercise serum selenium levels in athletes were significantly higher compared to those of sedentary participants (130.53 +/- 36.79 and 95.51 +/- 20.57 mu g/L, respectively, p = 0.011). There was no difference in selenium levels after exercise (124.01 +/- 29.96 mu g/L) compared to pre-exercise (130.53 +/- 36.79 mu g/L) in the athlete group (p = 0.386). Similarly, there was no difference in selenium levels after exercise (113.28 +/- 25.51 mu g/L) compared to pre-exercise (95.51 +/- 20.57 mu g/L) in the sedentary group (p = 0.251). Conclusions: BDNF results show that even if athletes are exposed to blows, they may be protected from the long-term effects of blows thanks to the protective effect of their non-sedentary lifestyle. Regular exercise may have a protective effect on maintaining serum selenium levels in athletes even exposed to blows chronically.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessBdnfBlowsExerciseSeleniumArticle