Healthy Habits and Antioxidant Intake Linked to Reduced Mortality in Stroke Survivors: Study Finds

"Those in the highest OBS quartile had a 41% reduced mortality risk (HR = 0.59) compared to those in the lowest quartile, emphasizing the positive impact of antioxidant-rich diets and healthy lifestyle choices on stroke recovery and survival," the researchers reported.

The researchers note that oxidative stress, caused by an imbalance between antioxidants and pro-oxidants in the body, is a significant contributor to various chronic diseases, including stroke, which remains the second leading cause of death worldwide. Given its crucial role in stroke development, assessing oxidative balance is essential for understanding risk factors and potential interventions. The Oxidative Balance Score is a valuable tool to measure the combined effects of diet and lifestyle on the body's antioxidant capacity, offering insights into how maintaining a favorable oxidative balance may help reduce stroke risk and improve overall health outcomes.

Against the above background, Haipeng Li, University of South China, Chenzhou, Hunan, China, and colleagues used NHANES data to examine the association between OBS and all-cause mortality in stroke survivors across the United States.

The study analyzed stroke survivors from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999–2018), including 1,781 participants with a median follow-up of 6.5 years. During this period, 786 participants (39.59%) died. The association between OBS and all-cause mortality was evaluated using the Cox proportional hazards model.

The key findings of the study were as follows:

• Higher OBS quartiles were associated with lower mortality rates.
• Individuals in the fourth OBS quartile had a 41% lower risk of all-cause mortality than those in the first quartile (HR = 0.59).
• Restricted cubic spline analysis showed a linear inverse relationship between OBS and all-cause mortality.
• Subgroup analysis confirmed that the inverse association remained consistent across different population subgroups.

The researchers found that a higher Oxidative Balance Score (OBS) is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality in stroke survivors, highlighting the protective role of antioxidant-rich diets and healthy lifestyle choices. Their analysis revealed a negative correlation between OBS and mortality, suggesting that greater exposure to antioxidant factors relative to pro-oxidant factors contributes to improved survival outcomes.

"By providing new evidence on the impact of diet and lifestyle in stroke recovery, our study emphasizes the need for further longitudinal and interventional research to validate and expand these findings for better clinical guidance," they concluded.

Reference:

Lei, J., Liao, Z., Duan, W., Li, Q., Duan, L., Tang, H., Luo, H., Huang, H., & Li, H. (2025). Association between oxidative balance score and all-cause mortality in stroke survivors. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91721-6