An article posted by Rachel Bradley-Gomez on Monday, November 29, 2010

Could something in your kitchen cabinet help you lose weight and prevent cancer? It’s something many people don’t associate with weight loss or even health.

Some refer to this weight loss food as “liquid gold” because of its color and the fact that it’s rich in nutrients.

A local research dietitian swears by this particular ingredient and has done local studies on its power to help us lose weight and prevent prostate and breast cancers.

And here’s the irony: It’s high in fat.

If you want to trim your waistline, try consuming at least three tablespoons a day of extra virgin olive oil.

Mary Flynn, a registered dietitian and researcher at The Miriam Hospital, has the proof to back it up. She recently completed two weight loss studies. One looked at an olive oil plant-based diet to prevent breast cancer; the other to see if that same diet could prevent prostate cancer.

“What we were looking at was when men are treated for recurrent prostate cancer, they’re treated very often with a therapy that blocks the testosterone. And when this happened it increased their risk factors for heart disease by increasing the metabolic syndrome, which is a large waist, an increase in the triglycerides, decrease in HDL, the blood pressure goes up and glucose goes up,” Flynn said.

In all, 18 men took part in the plant-based olive oil diet. “I asked them to use at least three tablespoons a day, which I put as part of the meal plan and the recipes and then it focuses mainly on vegetables,” Flynn said.

Vegetables in this Mediterranean-like diet are unlimited. Fruits are limited to about three servings a day, and whole grains are emphasized.

“The beauty of the diet is the volume is large. So, your stomach is full and then you have the fat, the olive oil being used to prep the meal so you don’t get hungry between the meals. And so I see snacking go down,” Flynn said. Flynn found in this hospital-funded study that men not only lost weight, they embraced the new way of eating.

She already knew women were benefiting. It’s what led to her publishing this book, “The Pink Ribbon Diet,” which was borne out of an earlier study of 44 overweight women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.

In that study, women who followed the plant-based olive oil plan lost weight and lowered their triglycerides — a type of fat found in the blood — and raised their good cholesterol.

Despite its name, the book is for anyone trying to lower their weight and risk for disease.

“It’s mainly a cookbook. It gives the rationale for why I choose the foods that I do, I think, as well as 150 very easy recipes,” Flynn said.

The olive oil diet used in Flynn’s studies includes at least those three tablespoons of olive oil a day and a lot of vegetables. Red meat was not allowed, but limited amounts of poultry and fish were.

Balsamic vinegar health benefits comprise reduced risks of heart diseases, cancer and other infectious diseases. Moreover, balsamic vinegar decelerates the aging process, controls diabetes, assists in digestion, etc.

Originated from Italy, this condiment is an aromatic, thick, dark, syrup-like aged type of vinegar, prepared by the reduction of cooked grapes. Balsamic vinegar, though popularly referred to as wine vinegar is not made from wine, but is prepared from grape pressings, whose fermentation process has been hindered. The best balsamic vinegar is prepared in the hills of Modena, in Italy, where unique and flavorful balsamic vinegar is formed. This vinegar is known to be a cut above the other types of vinegar. Unlike the sharp taste of vinegar, balsamic vinegar has a rich, sweet flavor. You need to taste it to believe it!

Italians have been relishing balsamic vinegar for centuries, however, the American palate has been able to savor this only since the past two decades. Today balsamic vinegar is one of the most popular condiments available in American grocery stores and is used in various sauces, marinades, salad dressings, dips, desserts, etc. The popularity surge of this dark, syrup-like condiment is not only because of its remarkable taste, but balsamic vinegar health benefits also play a major role in adding points to the popularity chart.

Health Benefits of Balsamic Vinegar

Balsamic vinegar retains most of the nutrients present in the parent grapes and comprises nutrients like iron, calcium, potassium, manganese, phosphorus and magnesium in adequate amounts. Thus, incorporating balsamic vinegar in the daily diet will benefit one immensely. Let us look at the different balsamic vinegar health benefits.

Antioxidant Properties

Oxidation reactions taking place in the human body to produce energy, conduce to formation of cell damaging free radicals as natural by-products. Free radicals damage cell membranes and manifest themselves in terms of premature aging, hardening of arterial walls and cancer. Antioxidants from balsamic vinegar destroy these free radicals and prevent cells from being destroyed.

Fights Cancer

The grapes from which balsamic vinegar is formed is known to contain a bioflavonoid called quercetin, which has antioxidant properties. Along with vitamin C, this antioxidant strengthens the immune system to fight cancer and other infectious diseases and inflammations. Balsamic vinegar also contains polyphenols which are anticancer agents.

Reduces Risks of Heart Attacks

Balsamic vinegar is low in saturated fat and is believed to reduce cholesterol. Moreover, since it is low in sodium, it enhances heart health and reduces high blood pressure.

Controls Diabetes

Research reveals that consumption of at least 5 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar a day enhances insulin sensitivity. The greater the insulin sensitivity, the better the diabetes control.

Natural Pain Reliever

In ancient times, folk healers used this vinegar to relieve people of their body pain. Moreover, they also used balsamic vinegar to treat wounds and infections. The anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties in the vinegar healed wounds.

Assists Digestion

The polyphenols in balsamic vinegar stimulate the activity of pepsin enzyme in the body. Pepsin is a digestive enzyme, which helps break proteins into smaller units (amino acids). Moreover, these polyphenols also assist the intestine in absorbing amino acids expeditiously. Efficient amino acid absorption enables the body to utilize it for cell building, repair and other body maintenance work. Thus, balsamic vinegar aids the digestion process.

Read more on : Besides these balsamic vinegar health benefits, this vinegar also reduces the frequency of headache inceptions, strengthens bones (calcium absorption), energizes the body, slows down aging process and prevents anemia. It also helps in weight loss by suppressing one’s appetite. Authentic balsamic vinegar would have been aged for a minimum period of 3 years to a maximum period of 100 years. The longer the aging process, finer the vinegar quality. However, commercially produced balsamic vinegar produced in a few hours is also available in the stores.