This week on the Olive Health Information System website

The newsletter of the University of Navarra and the IOC dedicated to health

The Mediterranean diet, with olive oil at its core, is one of the most extensively studied dietary patterns. Robust evidence supports its role in preventing and managing chronic diseases. Beyond its well-recognized cardioprotective effects, recent research highlights its positive impact on immune and inflammatory health, underscoring its value across all stages of life.

One example is the MEDALLION study, which examined maternal adherence to this diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding and the subsequent development of allergies in offspring. The study found that mothers who closely followed the Mediterranean diet during these periods were less likely to have children who developed food allergies. These findings point to the potential of maternal nutrition to reduce childhood food allergies, emphasizing the importance of a healthy dietary pattern such as the Mediterranean diet during gestation and lactation.

The connection between diet and inflammation has likewise been confirmed in chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. A large UK Biobank cohort study followed over 117,000 adults for nine years and found that those with the highest adherence to the Mediterranean diet had a 29% lower risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis compared with those with the lowest adherence. A meta-analysis combining this cohort with five other international studies confirmed the protective effect, showing a pooled 16% lower risk. The Mediterranean diet was also associated with lower levels of inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein and interleukin-6. Notably, olive oil and legumes stood out as key components linked to reduced risk, highlighting the anti-inflammatory potential of Mediterranean eating patterns and reinforcing olive oil’s role as a cornerstone of a diet that supports joint health and inflammation prevention.

Overall, the Mediterranean diet delivers wide-ranging benefits throughout the lifespan by lowering inflammation and oxidative stress while supporting immune function. These results justify promoting the Mediterranean approach—anchored by olive oil—as a powerful strategy for public health.

Other articles mentioned this week in the OHIS newsletter:

Olive fruit and olive oil

Children’s and youth health

Adherence to Mediterranean Diet During Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, and Development of Food Allergy in the Offspring: Results From the MEDALLION Cohort Study.

The Association Between the Mediterranean Diet and Fatty Acids in Red Blood Cells of Spanish Adolescents.

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet Among Primary School Children in the Tagus Lezíria Region, Portugal: A Study on Eating Habits.

Sugar Content of Children’s Breakfast Foods in Mediterranean Diet Patterns.

Adherence trends to the Mediterranean Diet in Spanish youth: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Mental health

Environmental co-benefits of a Mediterranean-style dietary intervention for reducing depressive symptoms in adults: results from the Curbing Anxiety and Depression using Lifestyle Medicine randomised controlled trial.

Effects of Mediterranean and Western dietary patterns on perceived stress and mental distress.

Inflammation and metabolism

Mediterranean diet and rheumatoid arthritis: A nine-year cohort study and systematic review with meta-analysis.

[The Mediterranean diet and fermented beverages in weight control].

Causal Inference Framework Reveals Mediterranean Diet Superiority and Inflammatory Mediation Pathways in Mortality Prevention: A Comparative Analysis of Nine Common Dietary Patterns.

Relationship between Mediterranean diet and periodontal inflammation in a UK population: A cross-sectional study.

Artificial Inteligence

Using machine learning to predict the consumption of a Mediterranean diet with untargeted metabolomics data from controlled feeding studies.

Other topics

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet Across the League of Arab States: A Systematic Review.