Did your mom ever tell you how bad pizza is for you? You're not alone. Greasy slices of cheese and pepperoni have long been regarded as the opposite of healthy food, but some new research might be debunking that long-held claim.
Scientists have already found that pizza likely carries psychological benefits as a comfort food, but a new study out of Italy suggests that it may come with physical bonuses as well. The first-of-its-kind research, published in the journal Nutrients, looked into whether eating pizza could help those living with rheumatoid arthritis, which causes uncomfortable or painful swelling in the joints.
The team examined data from a 2018–19 survey on the diets of 365 Italians between the ages of 18 and 65 who were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. They found that those who ate half a pizza at least once a week experienced a decrease in their arthritis symptoms compared to those who only ate pizza twice a month or less. They even noticed that those with more severe rheumatoid arthritis seemed to feel better the more pizza they ate.
Related: How to Make Perfect Pizza Dough
It should be noted that pizza in Italy is typically much healthier than what we eat in the US. Fresh mozzarella, basil, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and other ingredients usually make the pies more nutritious than something we'd get from Domino's.
"These beneficial effects were likely driven by mozzarella cheese and, to a lesser extent, by olive oil, even though we were unable to assess the possible contribution of tomato sauce," the study's authors explained in the text. They also acknowledged that the results require more wide-reaching and in-depth studies to properly determine the nutritional value of pizza to arthritis sufferers. "Future cohort studies are needed to confirm this beneficial effect of pizza and related food items/groups on RA disease activity," they said.
If you're looking to reap the purported health benefits of pizza, you're probably better off baking one from scratch with fresh ingredients instead of cracking open a DiGiorno box.
from Men's Journal https://ift.tt/nPfzUM9
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