Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the joints. Its cause is unknown, but genes, infectious agents, hormones, and diet have been suggested as possible causes. The team did not find evidence that fish consumption reduced the risk. 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.
It is possible that heat destroys the cell walls of cooked vegetables, helping the body to absorb more of a potentially beneficial substance. 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. I suspect that they are also associated with other chronic illnesses. I would disagree with the author's conclusions as to the mechanism of action.