Table 5. Spearman correlation of the food frequency questionnaire (Overall QFA Score) with sociodemographic questionnaire, bioelectrical impedance analysis, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS-QoL), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), and 1-repetition maximum (1RM) strength tests

TITLE: Healthy Men Practicing Resistance Training Show No Improvement in Prostate-Specific Antigen Concentrations: A Cross-Sectional StudyINTRODUCTION: Physical inactivity increases susceptibility to prostate disorders, including prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and prostate cancer (PCa), conditions often characterized by elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in men over 40. Prostate cancer was globally the second most diagnosed cancer in 2020 (1,414,259 cases; 375,304 deaths) and the leading male cancer in Brazil. OBJECTIVE: To investigate potential differences in serum PSA concentrations between men who regularly perform resistance training and those who do not. METHODS: Cross-sectional quantitative study (CAAE: 87476225.8.0000.0089), carried out in 2025 at Universidade São Judas Tadeu and a gym in Santo André, SP, Brazil. Forty healthy men aged 40–55 years without prostatic pathology history were recruited by convenience and grouped as trained (GT, n=24) or non-trained (GNT, n=16). Assessments comprised body composition via bioimpedance, food frequency questionnaire, IPSS/QoL, DASS-21, 1RM strength tests, and serum PSA levels. Statistical procedures included Mann-Whitney U test, Fisher’s exact test, and Spearman correlation analysis (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Mean age was 44.9 years. PSA values did not differ significantly between the trained and non-trained groups. No significant correlations were detected between PSA and body composition, nutritional variables, strength performance, or DASS-21 scores. A significant positive association was found only between IPSS/QoL and PSA (r = 0.331; p = 0.037). CONCLUSION: Participation in resistance training showed no association with PSA concentration in this sample. Greater prostatic symptom burden was linked to higher PSA. Randomized longitudinal studies are necessary to confirm whether resistance exercise may exert protective effects on prostate-specific antigen and prostate cancer prevention.