+++ New Paper - Female endurance athletes show a reduced plasma cell-free DNA response to all-out and 3-h cycling compared to male counterparts.

In collaboration with our colleagues of the University of Mainz, we investigated in this study how cell-free DNA (cfDNA) responds to both maximal and prolonged endurance exercise and whether these responses differ between women and men. Both a VO₂max test and a 3-hour cycling session resulted in an approximately fivefold increase in cfDNA levels. Following the prolonged exercise bout, cfDNA concentrations returned to baseline only after 24 hours. Men exhibited significantly greater cfDNA responses than women, even after accounting for body mass and lean body mass. These findings suggest that sex-specific factors, such as differences in immune responses or hormonal influences, may contribute to cfDNA release during exercise. Further research is needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms.

To learn more about our findings, you can read our Open Access paper published in Physiological Reports.

Reference:
Enders, K., Dollsack, M., Schranner, D., Bremer, S., Simon, P., Wackerhage, H., Neuberger, E. W. I., & Schönfelder, M. (2026). Female endurance athletes show a reduced plasma cell-free DNA response to all-out and 3-h cycling compared to male counterparts. Physiological Reports, 14, e70999. https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.70999