Higher oxidative balance score linked to increased odds of allergic rhinitis

A higher oxidative balance score (OBS), a composite indicator of pro- and antioxidant exposures, is associated with increased odds of allergic rhinitis (AR) in an adjusted analysis, according to a study published online Sept. 24 in Frontiers in Nutrition.

Yanhua Tian, from Zhoukou Medical Science Research Center in China, and colleagues analyzed data from the 2005 to 2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to examine the association between OBS and AR in U.S. adults. An OBS, which included 16 dietary and four lifestyle factors, was calculated. Multivariable logistic regression and restricted cubic spline models were used to assess associations with AR.

The analyses included 1,491 adults. The researchers found that higher total and dietary OBS were significantly associated with AR. Each unit increase in total OBS corresponded to 2% higher odds of AR in fully adjusted models (odds ratio, 1.02), and each standard deviation increase correlated to 19% higher odds (odds ratio, 1.19).

A similar association was seen for dietary OBS (odds ratio, 1.03), while the association for lifestyle OBS was not significant. Dose-response relationships were seen in quartile analyses, with significantly increased odds for quartile 4 of total and dietary OBS versus quartile 1 (odds ratios, 1.67 and 1.60, respectively). Total OBS remained significantly associated with AR in survey-weighted analyses, while dietary and lifestyle OBS were not. In sensitivity analyses, these associations remained robust.

“By integrating dietary and lifestyle exposures with rigorous sensitivity analyses, our findings contribute novel evidence to the field and highlight the relevance of redox balance in allergic disease epidemiology,” the authors write.

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