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Many wonder which supplements are important.The answer really depends on the individual's overall health and lifestyle, things such as diet, exercise, medications, sleep habits, and similar considerations. But as a rule, the following are important:

• A good comprehensive multivitamin
• An omega-3 supplement with a high DHA level
• Vitamin D3, and
• Curcumin

Supported by findings from literally thousands of studies, curcumin is shaping up as the supplement of the decade. That's right, curcumin is so essential, it is going to be the powerhouse supplement of the entire next decade.

That's because emerging research is indicating that curcumin may be among the most powerful and versatile health supplements impacting everything from colds to cancer.

In fact, important new findings have determined that this spice can:
• Protect against the ravages of aging
• Enhance heart health and inhibit the formation of LDL (bad) cholesterol
• Help protect against age related memory loss
• Help maintain healthy cells and neutralize damaging free radicals
• Maintain healthy, pain-free joints
• Reduce chronic and damaging inflammation
• Counteract damage caused by radiation
• Support healthy kidneys and liver
• Encourage the body's own detoxification efforts and help eliminate such health-damaging contaminants as heavy metals
• Help prevent blood platelets from sticking together, thereby improving circulation

 The name curcumin may not be a household word — yet. But turmeric, the bright yellow spice from which it's derived, has been used for centuries as both a medicine and a spice in Indian cooking, especially in dishes known as curry.

Curcumin is the most active ingredient in turmeric, a plant related to ginger. A few years ago, I learned that some of our most devastating chronic health conditions, including arthritis and Alzheimer's, are far less common in India and Asia. Upon reflection, I realized that our traditional diets could play a role. Americans tend to consume processed, prepared, low-nutrition food and beverages that spur inflammation. In other words, the way we eat is killing us.

The Western diet is devoid of many vital nutrients and antioxidants and is, instead, packed with processed foods, sugars, and fats that speed up the aging process and work against us in the fight to stay healthy.

Asian diets (especially Indian), on the other hand, are seasoned with curry which contains turmeric as the dominant ingredient, and therefore, the antioxidant benefits of curcumin.

Yet, sadly, when people from that area of the world come to live in this country and adopt the traditional American diet, within one generation, they too, are confronted with the same health issues that many of us here face.