Mediterranean Diet May Help Arthritis
(Reuters Health, 2/19/03)

Swedish researchers led by Dr. Lars Skoldstam, treated rheumatoid arthritis patients with a Mediterranean diet that included fruits, vegetables, olive oil, fish and poultry. After 3 months, subjects on this protocol had less pain and functioned significantly better than the controls, who had not made dietary changes. The patients on the diet also lowered their cholesterol levels and lost an average of 6.6 pounds. The researchers note that the fact that the Mediterranean diet is usually associated with promoting heart health is significant because inflammation is thought to be a component in both cardiovascular disease and arthritis and this regimen appears to have an anti-inflammatory effect . Lending further credence to this arthritis-cardiovascular connection, a new US study has found that women with rheumatoid arthritis have up to twice the risk of heart attack compared to their peers.