There is a relation between dietary factors and risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A study involving 145 rheumatoid patients and 188 control subjects from southern Greece and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1999 Dec;70(6):1077-1082) shows a connection between diet and severity of symptoms. Consumption of both cooked vegetables and olive oil was associated with a lower instance of rheumatoid arthritis.