Many high-quality studies show that health benefits of curcumin are enormous, especially for the heart and brain. And much of curcumin’s competence in keeping your body overall healthy comes from its ability to reduce oxidative damage (as a powerful anti-oxidant) and curb pain and inflammation.

High levels of blood sugar, if not checked in time, can lead to a range of metabolic disorders including type 2 diabetes. Continuously high levels of sugar circulating in the blood can trigger oxidative stress and inflammation in the blood vessels. This creates serious complications in the vascular system, making diabetic patients particularly vulnerable to cardiovascular problems (increased blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels, heart failure and stroke), kidney damage, impaired or complete loss of vision (diabetic retinopathy), nerve damage and even depression and dementia.

Jiaogulan, or Gynostemma pentaphyllum, is a relatively lesser known herb but is one with outstanding health benefits. With more than 170 different types of saponins, Jiaogulan stands above most herbs for its tremendous disease preventing properties. Saponins are naturally occurring chemical compounds that give many herbs, including ginseng, their wide-ranging therapeutic qualities. The fact is Jiaogulan is known to contain the largest variety of these special compounds in comparison to any other plant; with ginseng containing only 28 different types of saponins!

Free radicals – nasty toxic molecules that have long been known to damage DNA, proteins, lipids and other essential biological molecules. Their contribution to premature aging and chronic degenerative illness is well-established. But is it the only way to perceive free radicals? As we are about to find out, the fear of free radicals may actually be exaggerated. While free radicals ride on a lot of negative hype, the truth is they are a crucial part of life and play an important role in many biological functions in small amounts.

Many underlying factors come together to raise your risk for type 2 diabetes, including genetic predisposition and environmental factors such as calories intake, physical inactivity and unhealthy sleeping patterns. In fact, it is a well-established fact that lack of exercise puts you at an increased risk of obesity and diabetes. But evolving research in this field is an indicator that the amount of time you spend in uninterrupted sitting, irrespective of your daily exercise regime whatever it may be, has a potential to increase your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Glutathione is one of the most powerful anti-oxidants produced by our body, and yet it hardly receives the attention it deserves from the medical community. It may be little known and may not have as many cheerleaders as other anti-oxidants such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, lycopene and even resveratrol found in red wine, but you can’t just deny the super role of Glutathione as a powerful detoxifier, immune booster and - of course - potent anti-oxidant.

Heavy workloads, meeting tight deadlines, care giving, financial worries. Stress has invaded our daily lives in many forms. We can withstand occasional bouts of extreme stress, which can actually be a good thing by motivating us to take meaningful action.

But what happens when we are frequently or continually exposed to such environmental stressors? It takes a toll on our health. Stress plunges the body towards poor health and premature aging.

Scientists warn us that it is important to find ways to manage and reduce chronic stress in our lives or else risk the onset of many age-related diseases such as dementia, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, arthritis, depression and even cancer.

Our body is an amazing machine. Even when we are sleeping, it is working hard, doing amazing stuff at the backend to keep us healthy and rejuvenated. We all know how an all-nighter can make us feel all grumpy, tired and stressed. It is because sleep has a direct impact on the functioning of our central nervous system, the information highway of our body – affecting our mood, internal balance, cognitive and decision making abilities. Sleep deficiency is often cited as one of the biggest reasons for road and aviation accidents. In fact, two of the most tragic nuclear disasters in the recent history such as the 1979 Three Mile Island and the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor meltdown have been linked to the lack of sleep.