Experts Name 7 Foods That Cut Inflammation and Pain in as Little as 10 Days

Q: Could a specific type of cooking oil in your pantry actually mimic the pain-relieving effects of ibuprofen?

Yes — extra-virgin olive oil, especially high-polyphenol EVOO, contains oleocanthal, a natural compound that has been shown to act on the same COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes targeted by ibuprofen. That is the scientific basis for the comparison. Researchers first drew attention to oleocanthal after noticing that fresh EVOO causes a peppery throat sting similar to liquid ibuprofen. Studies cited in the web material say oleocanthal can inhibit those inflammation-related enzymes on an equimolar basis. But that does not mean olive oil works like taking an ibuprofen tablet, or that it should replace pain medicine. What experts do support is using extra-virgin olive oil as part of an overall anti-inflammatory eating pattern. Dietitians in the news story highlighted EVOO because it supplies polyphenols such as oleocanthal, along with heart-healthy fats, and fits the broader advice to replace saturated fats and ultra-processed foods with minimally processed, nutrient-dense choices. The amount of oleocanthal varies widely by product. Early-harvest, cold-pressed, dark-bottled EVOO tends to have more polyphenols, and a peppery, bitter finish can be a clue to higher oleocanthal content. Standard refined “olive oil” generally has far less. So the pantry oil in question is extra-virgin olive oil — not because it is a drug substitute, but because one of its natural compounds appears to share part of ibuprofen’s anti-inflammatory mechanism.

3 articles · Updated · AOL · Aug 13

Seven foods—fatty fish, blueberries, olive oil, leafy greens or broccoli, beans, fermented foods and spices—can lower inflammation-linked pain, with dietary studies showing biomarker changes in as little as 10 days.
Salmon eaten three times weekly cut inflammatory blood markers in an eight-week study, while daily broccoli was tied to a 45% drop in one key marker after 10 days.
Extra-virgin olive oil reduced inflammation across a 30-study review of 3,000 participants, and high-fermented-food diets lowered 19 inflammatory markers in a 10-week Stanford study.
Dietitians said consistency matters more than perfection, recommending regular servings—such as 1 cup of blueberries most days or beans four times weekly—while cutting refined sugar, alcohol and processed oils.
The advice broadly fits a Mediterranean-style diet and expands on earlier anti-inflammatory food lists, with experts stressing results vary by weight, sleep, activity and underlying disease.