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REVIEW article

Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutritional Epidemiology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1523791
This article is part of the Research Topic Preventative Medicine: Nutritional and Lifestyle Interventions for Healthy Ageing and Chronic Diseases View all 30 articles

Association of Oxidative Balance Score With Metabolic Syndrome and its Components in Middle-Aged and Older Individuals in the United States

Provisionally accepted
Qu Zhang Qu Zhang 1,2Yemei Wu Yemei Wu 2*Bo Luo Bo Luo 1,2*
  • 1 Hubei Cancer Hospital, Wuhan, China
  • 2 Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China

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

    The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among middle-aged and older individuals in the U.S. is rising, posing significant mortality risks. Diet is a key factor in MetS development, yet few studies have examined the combined effects of dietary and lifestyle factors on MetS in this group. Recently, the oxidative balance score (OBS), an indicator of oxidative status encompassing diet and physical activity, has attracted interest. This study explores the association between OBS and MetS, as well as its individual components, in middle-aged and older Americans.Methods: Data from 6,157 participants aged 45 years and older in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (1999-2018) were analyzed. The OBS was calculated using sixteen dietary and four lifestyle factors. Logistic regression was used to assess associations between OBS and MetS. Separate analyses examined dietary OBS (DOBS) and lifestyle OBS (LOBS) in relation to MetS.Results: Higher OBS quartiles were associated with a reduced MetS risk (OR 0.25; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.12-0.51; P < .0001), after adjusting for confounders. Increased OBS was linked to decreases in waist circumference (WC) (OR 0.41; 95% CI: 0.30-0.51; P < .0001), triglycerides (TG) (OR 0.71; 95% CI: 0.53-0.92; P = 0.0139), blood pressure (BP) (OR 0.53; 95% CI: 0.40-0.69; P < .0001), and fasting glucose (FG) (OR 0.61; 95% CI: 0.45-0.81; P < .0001), while HDL-C increased (OR 0.68; 95% CI: 0.51-0.90; P = 0.0065). DOBS was inversely associated with MetS through reductions in BP and FG and increased HDL-C, though it showed no significant effect on WC or TG. LOBS was associated with reductions across WC, BP, FG, TG, and an increase in HDL-C.OBS is inversely associated with MetS in middle-aged and older U.S. adults. Enhancing OBS through dietary guidelines emphasizing antioxidant-rich foods, fiber, and unsaturated fats, alongside lifestyle changes like regular exercise, smoking cessation, and moderate alcohol intake, may be crucial in MetS prevention for this population.

    Keywords: metabolic syndrome, Oxidative balance score, Middle-aged and older individuals, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Dietary and lifestyle factors

    Received: 06 Nov 2024; Accepted: 08 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Wu and Luo. 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:
    Yemei Wu, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei Province, China
    Bo Luo, Hubei Cancer Hospital, Wuhan, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.