Association between oxidative balance score and frailty in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Oxidative stress is associated with frailty and adverse outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The oxidative balance score (OBS) assesses oxidative stress from diet and lifestyle, with higher OBS indicating more antioxidants than oxidants. A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the potential association between OBS and frailty in US adults with COPD.

A total of 1201 COPD subjects from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 1999-2018) were assessed for frailty using the Frailty Index. OBS, consisting of 20 dietary and lifestyle factors, was the exposure variable. Weighted multiple logistic regression, subgroup analysis, and restricted cubic spline curves were used to assess the association between OBS and frailty.

Compared with the lowest OBS reference group (Q1), the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for the highest quartile group (Q4) for OBS, dietary OBS, and lifestyle OBS were 0.41 (95% CI: 0.19-0.92), 0.37 (95% CI: 0.20-0.71), and 0.41 (95% CI: 0.24-0.71), respectively. All trend p-values were less than 0.05. Subgroup and RCS analyses revealed a negative linear association between OBS and frailty, with a significant reduction in frailty risk observed in women compared to men.

OBS was negatively associated with frailty in COPD. The higher the OBS, the lower the risk of frailty, especially in women. Identifying at-risk populations with OBS and through antioxidant diet and lifestyle are potential ways to reduce the prevalence of frailty.