Objectives: In light of the rise in the global aging population, this study investigated the potential of the oxidative balance score (OBS) as an indicator of phenotypic age acceleration (PhenoAgeAccel) to better understand and potentially slow down aging.
Methods: Utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) collected between 2001 and 2010, including 13,142 U.S. adults (48.75% female and 51.25% male) aged 20 and above, OBS and PhenoAgeAccel were calculated. Weighted generalized linear regression models were employed to explore the associations between OBS and PhenoAgeAccel, including a sex-specific analysis.
Results: The OBS demonstrated significant variability across various demographic and health-related factors. There was a clear negative correlation observed between the higher OBS quartiles and PhenoAgeAccel, which presented sex-specific results the negative association between OBS and PhenoAgeAccel was more pronounced in men than in women. An analysis using restricted cubic splines revealed no significant nonlinear relationships. Interaction effects were noted solely in the context of sex and hyperlipidemia.
Conclusion: A higher OBS was significantly associated with a slower aging process, as measured by lower PhenoAgeAccel. These findings underscore the importance of OBS as a biomarker in the study of aging and point to sex and hyperlipidemia as variables that may affect this association. Additional research is required to confirm these results and to investigate the biological underpinnings of this relationship.
Keywords: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; Oxidative balance score; Phenotypic age acceleration.