The Relationship Between Adherence to a Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension Diet with Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Capacity in Young Women

Objective: The dietary approaches to stop hypertension diet is a healthy dietary pattern that may have advantageous effects on oxidative stress and antioxidant status. This study evaluated the relationship between adherence to the dietary approaches to stop hypertension diet with total antioxidant capacity and markers of oxidative stress in healthy young women.

Methods: In this study, 155 young girls were included. A validated food frequency questionnaire was employed to explore the dietary intake of participants. The total antioxidant capacity and free radical scavenging activity of serum and urine were quantified using the ferric reducing/antioxidant power and α, α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl methods, respectively. Malondialdehyde was measured through the formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. A colorimetric assay was used to quantify pro-oxidant antioxidant balance.

Results: Individuals with the greatest adherence to dietary approaches to stop hypertension diet consumed more fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, nuts, legumes, and seeds and lower intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and sodium compared to those with the lowest adherence. Women with the greatest adherence to the dietary approaches to stop hypertension style diet (those in the third tertile) were more likely to have a lower urinary ferric reducing/antioxidant power, α, α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl, and malondialdehyde than those in the first tertile (P < .05). In logistic regression, a higher adherence to a dietary approaches to stop hypertension pattern was associated with lower levels of urinary ferric reducing/antioxidant power (odds ratio=0.82; 95% CI: 0.71-0.94, P=.005), urinary α, α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (odds ratio=0.47; 95% CI: 0.28-0.78, P=.003), and urinary malondialdehyde (odds ratio=0.13; 95% CI: 0.02-0.81, P=.029).

Conclusion: Adherence to the dietary approaches to stop hypertension diet was related to better oxidative stress and antioxidant capacities in healthy young girls of an Iranian population.

Cite this article as: Bahrami A, Zarban A, Dehghani H, Mohamadifard M, Tavallaie S, Ferns GA. The relationship between adherence to a dietary approach to stop hypertension (DASH) diet with oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity in young women. Turk J Endocrinol Metab. 2022;26(3):141-147.