Association between oxidative balance score and all-cause mortality in stroke survivors

Stroke is the second leading cause of death globally. Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the development of stroke. The Oxidative Balance Score (OBS) is a tool used to assess the combined impact of diet and lifestyle on the body's antioxidant capacity. The study included stroke survivors from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2018), with a total of 1,781 participants and a median follow-up duration of 6.5 years, during which 786 participants (39.59%) died. The relationship between OBS and all-cause mortality was assessed using the Cox proportional hazards model. The results indicated that individuals in higher OBS quartiles had lower mortality rates. Specifically, patients in the fourth quartile had a 41% reduced risk of all-cause mortality compared to those in the first quartile (HR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.42-0.84, p = 0.003). Restricted cubic spline analysis revealed a linear inverse relationship between OBS and all-cause mortality. Subgroup analysis further demonstrated that the inverse association persisted across various population subgroups. Overall, our study suggests that higher levels of OBS can reduce the risk of all-cause mortality in stroke survivors and provides new evidence for their diet and lifestyle.