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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutritional Epidemiology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1469449

Associations between oxidation balance score and abdominal aortic calcification, and the mediating role of glycohemoglobin: A nationally representative crosssectional study from NHANES

Provisionally accepted
Heqian Liu Heqian Liu 1Yifei Wu Yifei Wu 1*Zhenyu Liu Zhenyu Liu 1*Hongzhi Ren Hongzhi Ren 1*Ya Wu Ya Wu 1,2*Yong Liu Yong Liu 1,2*
  • 1 Department of Vascular Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
  • 2 Metabolic Vascular Disease Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) is prevalent among middle-aged and elderly populations, elevating the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Leveraging data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we conducted a nationally representative cross-sectional study. Our aim was to evaluate whether subjective interventions could influence AAC scores by modifying the antioxidant/pro-oxidant status of individuals and to investigate the role of glycohemoglobin in this relationship. Methods The study analyzed data from 1,600 U.S. adults. The study used oxidation balance score (OBS) as an exposure variable derived from 16 dietary and 4 lifestyle factors, as well as glycohemoglobin obtained from blood tests. The main outcome measure was AAC, which was evaluated by dual-energy X-ray absorption and quantified by Kauppila scoring system.The mean (SD) age of the 1600 patients was 56.53 (10.90) years, with a female predominance (50.22%). According to weighted linear regressions not adjusted for covariates, the AAC scores were lower in the third and fourth quartile groups of OBS than in the first quartile group of OBS (Q3: coefficients [coef], -0.92 [95% CI, -1.64 to -0.20], P=0.017; Q4: coefficients [coef], -0.97 [95% CI, -1.86~-0.08; P<0.035). According to the weighted linear regression subgroup analyses, there were no significant OBS-AAC correlations among males (P>0.05), but there were significant correlations among females (P<0.05). Smooth fitting curves showed a more significant trend of change in the negative correlation between OBS and AAC scores in postmenopausal women than in premenopausal women. In further mediation analyses, glycohemoglobin was identified as a mediator of the relationship between the oxidative balance score and AAC.This study revealed a significant negative correlation between OBS and AAC scores, particularly in postmenopausal women. The negative correlation between OBS and AAC is partly mediated by glycohemoglobin.

    Keywords: ABDOMINAL AORTIC CALCIFICATION, oxidation balance score, postmenopausal women, Glycohemoglobin, Mediating role

    Received: 07 Aug 2024; Accepted: 06 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Wu, Liu, Ren, Wu and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Yifei Wu, Department of Vascular Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
    Zhenyu Liu, Department of Vascular Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
    Hongzhi Ren, Department of Vascular Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
    Ya Wu, Department of Vascular Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
    Yong Liu, Department of Vascular Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China

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