The consumption of more than 100 food items was determined through interviews. The research team, led by Athena Linos of the University of Athens Medical School in Greece, estimated the number of days per year that subjects consumed olive oil and tallied these numbers to estimate consumption over a lifetime. They then calculated the likelihood of developing rheumatoid arthritis in relation to consumption of olive oil, fish, vegetables, and other food groups. The investigators found that people who consumed the least olive oil were 2.5 times more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those who consumed the most olive oil. Although the mechanism by which these foods might lower the risk remains unclear, the authors suggest that antioxidant substances could play a role.
Free radicals are molecules involved in several chronic diseases as well as aging.
Linos and colleagues also note that the typical American diet is rich certain types of fat that are broken down to hormones that promote inflammation. The fatty acid in olive oil, on the other hand, is broken down to hormones that inhibit inflammation.