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01Markers · Oxidative stress

MDA

Malondialdehyde

A compound formed when fats in cell membranes are damaged by oxidation. It is often measured with the TBARS assay, which also picks up related compounds.

Measured in
Blood (plasma) or urine
Units
µmol/L, nmol/mL
Also called
TBARS
  1. Resveratrol
  2. Melatonin
  3. Zinc
  4. L-carnitine
  5. Vitamin C
  6. Taurine
  7. Ubiquinol (CoQ10)
  8. Milk thistle
  9. Creatine
  10. Iron
  11. NAC
  12. Vitamin E
  13. Omega-3
  14. Vitamin D3
  15. HIIT
  16. Berberine
  17. Ashwagandha
  18. Red yeast rice
  19. Magnesium
  20. PQQ
  21. L-theanine
  22. Zone 2 cardio
  23. NAD+
  24. Collagen
  25. Finnish sauna
  26. Lion's mane
  27. Vitamin K2
MDA across the 27 supplements and practices researched so far · best evidence first

AWhat moves MDA

23 of 27 studied

In human studies, 22 of the 27 supplements and practices researched so far lowered MDA and 1 raised it. 4 were never studied for it.
  • Supported 23
  • No effect 0
  • Conflicting 0
  • Not studied 4
See MDA on the evidence map →Check claims about MDA →

Moves it23

Human studies found a change. The grade reflects the studies behind it, from A (strongest) to D.

ResveratrolLowersGrade A

Resveratrol lowers MDA.

Meta-analysis or review · Small effect · 49 studies linked

Studied in: T2DM, Metabolic syndrome, Adults

514 corpus studies. See malondialdehyde entry for detailed analysis. One of more consistent oxidative stress signals. Merged: mda and malondialdehyde refer to same biomarker.

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MelatoninLowersGrade A

Melatonin lowers MDA.

Moderate to large effect · 39 studies linked

Studied in: Adults, Metabolic syndrome, NASH, Oxidative stress conditions

MDA (lipid peroxidation marker) reduction is one of the most robust biomarker effects of melatonin; Zarezadeh 2022 and Morvaridzadeh 2020 both report large effects

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ZincLowersGrade A

Zinc lowers MDA.

Meta-analysis or review · 30 studies linked

Studied in: Adults, T2D, CKD, Metabolic syndrome

Grade upgraded to A: three independent Grade A MAs confirm MDA reduction — hosseini_2021 (WMD −0.59 µmol/L, p<0.001), faghfouri_2021_1 (SMD −0.77, p<0.001, time-response showing larger effect with longer supplementation), mohammadi_2021 (p<0.001). Mechanism: metallothionein induction (direct ROS scavenging), SOD1 co...

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L-carnitineLowersGrade A

L-carnitine lowers MDA.

Meta-analysis or review · Moderate effect · 29 studies linked

Studied in: Animal model, CKD, General adult

Wang 2020: significant ↓MDA in ApoE-/- mice; oxidative stress reduction corroborated in human CKD/dialysis context but MDA-specific human RCT data sparse

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Vitamin CLowersGrade A

Vitamin C lowers MDA.

28 studies linked

Studied in: Adults, Mixed populations, Elevated oxidative stress

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TaurineLowersGrade A

Taurine lowers MDA.

Meta-analysis or review · 20 studies linked

Studied in: Animal in vitro, Tbi model, Rat cortical cells, Type 2 diabetes

192 corpus studies. Merged from three prior entries: (1) mda with quarantined nagaoka_2022 source — DELETED, (2) mda_lipid_peroxidation with misattributed PMID:28580833 — DELETED, (3) new canonical entry backed by Faghfouri 2022 MA. Prior quarantined/misattributed sources fully superseded.

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Ubiquinol (CoQ10)LowersGrade A

Ubiquinol (CoQ10) lowers MDA.

Meta-analysis or review · 15 studies linked

Studied in: Metabolic syndrome, Cardiovascular, Coronary artery disease, Athletes

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Milk thistleLowersGrade A

Milk thistle lowers MDA.

Meta-analysis or review · Moderate effect · 13 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD, NASH, Type 2 diabetes, Chronic liver disease

Safarpour 2023 (rat, 5-FU GI toxicity): SMN 5mg/kg IP reduced malondialdehyde in tongue, esophagus, and intestinal tissue vs 5-FU control. Mechanistically consistent with known antioxidant activity. C-grade ceiling; human evidence absent for this specific endpoint/context.

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CreatineLowersGrade A

Creatine lowers MDA.

Meta-analysis or review · Small effect · 12 studies linked

Studied in: Athletes

Malondialdehyde (lipid peroxidation marker) attenuated post-exercise in creatine-supplemented arms; effect likely secondary to reduced exercise-induced metabolic stress (better ATP buffering → less mitochondrial ROS) rather than direct antioxidant scavenging

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IronRaisesGrade A

Iron raises MDA.

Meta-analysis or review · Small effect · 10 studies linked

Studied in: Iv iron recipients, Iron overload

MDA (malondialdehyde, lipid peroxidation end-product) is the most consistently elevated oxidative stress marker with IV iron. Transient post-infusion increase. Chronic elevation in iron overload.

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NACLowersGrade A

NAC lowers MDA.

Human trials · Moderate effect · 3 studies linked

Studied in: Renal failure, PCOS, COPD, Rheumatoid arthritis

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Vitamin ELowersGrade A

Vitamin E lowers MDA.

Large effect · 2 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD, Adult, Mixed sex, General population

Most consistent biomarker effect across all indications; directly reflects chain-breaking antioxidant mechanism of action

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Omega-3LowersGrade A

Omega-3 lowers MDA.

Moderate effect · 1 study linked

Studied in: Adult, Metabolic syndrome, Oxidative stress

  • Saboori S, Shab-Bidar S, Speakman JR, Yousefi Rad E, Djafarian K (2020)
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Vitamin D3LowersGrade B

Vitamin D3 lowers MDA.

Human trials · Small effect · 12 studies linked

Studied in: Deficient baseline

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HIITLowersGrade B

HIIT lowers MDA.

Meta-analysis or review · 9 studies linked

Studied in: Healthy adults, Overweight obese, Athletes

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BerberineLowersGrade B

Berberine lowers MDA.

Human trials · Large effect · 7 studies linked

Studied in: Metabolic syndrome, Diabetic nephropathy, NAFLD, Oxidative stress conditions

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AshwagandhaLowersGrade B

Ashwagandha lowers MDA.

Meta-analysis or review · 5 studies linked

Studied in: Stressed adults, Athletes, Infertile males

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Red yeast riceLowersGrade B

Red yeast rice lowers MDA.

Human trials · 3 studies linked

Studied in: Moderate hypercholesterolemia, Belgian, Italian, Adult

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MagnesiumLowersGrade B

Magnesium lowers MDA.

Moderate effect · 2 studies linked

Studied in: T2DM, CKD, Overweight

Malondialdehyde reduction consistent across 4 RCTs; linked to Nrf2/GSH mechanism.

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PQQLowersGrade C

PQQ lowers MDA.

Lab or animal studies · 3 studies linked

Studied in: Swine, Animal model, Not human

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L-theanineLowersGrade C

L-theanine lowers MDA.

Human trials · 2 studies linked

Studied in: Elderly japanese, Cognitive dysfunction, Institutionalized, Habitual tea drinkers

Direction 'decrease' is based entirely on catechin-confounded green tea data. For pure L-theanine, direction should be considered 'unknown' pending human data. Preclinical NRF2 signal supports decrease direction mechanistically but does not confirm it in humans.

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Zone 2 cardioLowersGrade C

Zone 2 cardio lowers MDA.

Human trials · 2 studies linked

Studied in: Adults overweight obese

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NAD+LowersGrade C

NAD+ lowers MDA.

Human trials · 1 study linked

5 corpus studies. Lipid peroxidation marker relevant to membrane integrity assessment.

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Not studied4

No usable human study has measured MDA with these. A gap is not a negative result: nobody has looked.

CollagenFinnish saunaLion's maneVitamin K2

Commission research on a gap →

Why trials measure it. Antioxidant trials use it as a common, if imprecise, measure of oxidative damage to fats.

About this marker: Lipid Peroxidation: Production, Metabolism, and Signaling Mechanisms of Malondialdehyde and 4-Hydroxy-2-Nonenal (Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity (PubMed Central)).

Evidence states come from published human studies found in PubMed and OpenAlex and read by a model pipeline. "Not studied" means no usable human study was found for this marker, which is a gap, not a negative result. Every result links its studies so you can check it.

Research summary for education. Not medical advice.