Mediterranean diet does not prevent rheumatoid arthritis says large study

Following the Mediterranean diet does not seem to prevent rheumatoid arthritis, says an analysis of a large sample of women.
The Mediterranean diet is believed to have many benefits, including lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and cancer and lower death rates from cardiovascular disease.
And some studies have suggested that certain components of the diet, such as fish and olive oil, could be linked to reduction in risk of rheumatoid arthritis. So to explore the relationship further, experts looked at two large studies of nearly 175,000 nurses.
All participants completed a questionnaire about medical history and lifestyle. Information on diet was obtained every four years and information on body mass index, smoking, menopausal status, physical activity and income was recorded every two years.
The researchers assessed how Mediterranean the diets of the women were and developed an aMed score (ranged from zero to 9, with higher scores indicating more adherence to the Mediterranean diet).
Women who had higher aMed scores were usually older, had lower body mass index, higher income, took more exercise and were less likely to smoke.
A total of 913 women developed rheumatoid arthritis. There was there no significant association between greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet and rheumatoid arthritis.
In an earlier analysis, the same group of researchers had found that moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a decreased risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
Several factors may have contributed to the lack of association between the Mediterranean diet and rheumatoid arthritis, according to the authors. For one thing, they had no information on if vegetables were eaten cooked or raw, or on what types of fish or fruits were eaten.

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Image credit: Roberto