Can olive oil ease joint pains?
Posted January 9th, 2007 at 8:00 AM by Hariz Siddiqui
Section: Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab
A diet loaded with cooked vegetables and olive oil helps reduce the pain, swelling and discomfort of rheumatoid arthritis, according to a study from Harvard School of Public Health.
Before this study, there was no really good evidence that diet had anything to do with the course of rheumatoid arthritis. One popular misconception is that the nightshade vegetables, which include potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers can make arthritis pain worse; there is no scientific support for this theory.
Your body makes bad prostaglandins that cause swelling and pain and good prostaglandins that prevent swelling and pain. Aspirin and other arthritis pain medicines contain drugs that block the bad prostaglandins.
Cooked vegetables and olive oils contain polyunsaturated and monounsaturated oils that are used by your body to make the good prostaglandins that block pain and swelling. They also are loaded with antioxidants that also help block pain and swelling. Everyone should eat lots of vegetables, particularly those who have arthritis.
This post is written by Dr. Gabe Mirkin, M.D.. Dr. Mirkin is board certified in Sports Medicine and has practiced for over 40 years. He has completed more than 40 marathons and was a talk show host of a nationally-syndicated radio program for about 25 years. For more articles by Dr. Mirkin, please check out: www.DrMirkin.com
***Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content. Please also see our complete disclaimer.***
Tags: arthritis, cooked vegetables, healthy eating, joint pain, joints, nightshade vegetables, olive oil, prostaglandins, rheumatoid arthritis, vegetables
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