Extra virgin olive oil protects against joint inflammation

Extra virgin olive oil could be included in the treatment protocol of rheumatoid arthritis. On another occasion it shows the therapeutic efficacy of an extra virgin olive oil of excellence, with a high content of polyphenols.

A research of the University of Seville and more properly of the group of experimental pharmacology and clinical pharmacology has shown the beneficial effects of consuming extra virgin olive oil in the prevention and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in laboratory animals.

For the experimentation an oil with a high phenolic content was used, compounds known for their anti-inflammatory properties.

The researchers divided the laboratory animals into two groups, one fed with sunflower oil and the other with extra virgin olive oil. The two groups were observed for two months.

At the end of the test it was observed that the group fed with extra virgin olive oil had a lower inflammation level in the joints than that of the group fed with sunflower oil.

“In this study we have observed both macroscopically and at the level of tissues such as extra-virgin olive oil with a high content of polyphenols has been able to reduce a certain number of mediators and biochemical parameters involved in inflammatory processes,” explains Maria Angeles Rosillo, principal author of the work.

Already previous studies indicate that the incidence of this common disease is lower in the Mediterranean countries.

Following these results, the researchers want to go a step further and experiment with extra virgin olive oil in a clinical study in collaboration with the University Hospital Virgen del Rocio of Seville.

“The consumption of extra-virgin olive oil prevents the development of rheumatoid arthritis at an experimental level. The discovery of this beneficial effect of extra virgin olive oil reinforces the hypothesis that it can be used preventively and therapeutically in the treatment of this common disease, reducing the negative effects that accompany classic pharmacological therapy “concluded Maria Angeles Rosillo.