Researchers at the University of Athens Medical School found that the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was closely associated with low consumption of cooked vegetables and olive oil—two staples of the traditional Mediterranean diet.
In this population-based study, individuals who consumed the least amount of olive oil had a 2.5-fold greater risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis compared to those with the highest intake. Olive oil contains natural antioxidants and is metabolized into anti-inflammatory fatty acids, including eicosatrienoic acid, which has effects similar to omega-3 fatty acids found in fish.
Vegetable intake also mattered. Participants who consumed the highest amounts of cooked vegetables had a 75% lower risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis compared to those with the lowest intake.
These findings were reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1999;70:1077–1082). A related analysis from southern Greece involving 145 rheumatoid arthritis patients and 188 controls found similar associations, reinforcing the link between Mediterranean-style dietary patterns and lower RA risk.
While observational in nature, this research helped establish diet—particularly antioxidant-rich vegetables and olive oil—as a meaningful factor in inflammatory disease risk. Such a diet will also improve bowel ecology. More recent studies have since expanded on these findings by focusing on overall dietary patterns, inflammation, and immune regulation rather than single nutrients.
