The relationship between food quality score with inflammatory biomarkers, and antioxidant capacity in young women

Diet has the potential to decrease oxidative stress and inflammation and this may be beneficial in several diseases. This study investigated the association between food quality score (FQS) with antioxidant and inflammatory properties in 171 apparently healthy young women. This cross‐sectional study was conducted using a validated food frequency questionnaire to determine the dietary intake of participants. FQS was calculated by summing all the scores obtained from healthy and unhealthy food groups. The total antioxidant capacity and free radical scavenging activity of serum and urine were quantified using the ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) and α, α‐diphenyl‐β‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) methods, respectively. Malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured using the formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). White blood cell (WBC) and neutrophil counts, mean platelet volume (MPV) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW), were measured. Neutrophil: lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet: lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and RDW: platelet ratio (RPR) were also calculated. A high food quality (rich in fruit and vegetables, nuts, whole grain, and low intake of sweetened beverage, potato chips and fried food from outside the home) was related to lower hematological inflammatory biomarkers including WBC count, RDW, NLR, and PLR. Multivariable‐adjusted odds ratios (95% CIs) demonstrated that higher FQS group (third tertile vs. first tertile) was associated with a significant lower levels of urinary FRAP (OR(adj) = 0.82; 95%CI: 0.70 to 0.97), and DPPH. High food quality was associated with reduced of markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in Iranian young girl.