Dietary antioxidant intake and health-related quality of life

Few studies have examined nutrient-specific antioxidant intake and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Middle Eastern populations. This cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the association between dietary antioxidant intakes and HRQoL among Iranian adults.

Using data from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study, we included 1,766 adults (54.3% female) with a mean age of 39.4 ± 13.2 years. Dietary intake of antioxidant vitamins and minerals-including vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), selenium (Se), manganese (Mn), and β-carotene-was assessed using a Food Frequency Questionnaire. HRQoL was evaluated using a validated questionnaire. General linear models were used to assess the associations between individual antioxidant nutrients and HRQoL scores.

In women, higher vitamin A intake was significantly associated with greater HRQoL and its dimensions, except for "role physical," "bodily pain," and "vitality." Increased vitamin C intake was associated with better "physical function," "role physical," and the physical component summary (PCS) in women (P = 0.043, 0.035, and 0.047, respectively). Mg intake showed a direct association with "physical function" (P = 0.045), "general health" (P = 0.012), "mental health" (P = 0.001), and the mental component summary (MCS) (P = 0.027) in men. In women, however, the associations were primarily related to physical aspects, specifically "physical function" (P = 0.017), "role physical" (P = 0.003), and the PCS (P = 0.008). Higher Se intake was correlated with improved PCS in both sexes, with women also showing notable improvements in "role physical" (P = 0.002) and "bodily pain" (P = 0.004).

The study highlights that increased consumption of vitamins A and C, Mg, and Se is associated wtih better HRQoL, especially in women, with significant improvements in physical HRQoL.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40200-026-01978-5.