A Modern Odyssey of Prevention: Integrating Nutrition and Lifestyle in Radiation Mitigation- A Narrative Review.

Ionizing radiation, though indispensable in medicine, energy, and space exploration, imposes complex biological stresses that disrupt redox homeostasis, inflammation control, and genomic integrity, ultimately contributing to fibrosis, immunosuppression, and carcinogenesis. Despite advances in pharmacological radioprotectors and technological safeguards, their incomplete efficacy and safety concerns highlight the need for integrative and sustainable mitigation strategies. Emerging evidence supports that nutrition- and lifestyle-based interventions can attenuate radiation-induced injury and enhance intrinsic defense mechanisms without compromising therapeutic efficacy. Nutritional modulation through balanced energy intake, micronutrients, and bioactive compounds such as antioxidants, vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and phytochemicals helps stabilize redox balance, suppress inflammatory signaling, and promote DNA repair and mitochondrial stability. Micronutrients including selenium and zinc stimulate antioxidant enzymes and DNA repair systems, while phytochemicals such as resveratrol, curcumin, and epigallocatechin gallate activate Nrf2 and inhibit NF-κB pathways, restoring cellular homeostasis. Complementary lifestyle factors including regular physical activity, adequate sleep, circadian rhythm alignment, and stress management, further enhance immune surveillance, genomic stability, and metabolic adaptation. Collectively, these integrative approaches provide synergistic, multi-pathway protection against radiation-induced damage. Future directions should focus on multi-omics-guided mechanistic studies and well-designed clinical trials to establish personalized, evidence-based frameworks for radiation mitigation.