Food Research: Dietary supplements linked to increase cancer risk ♦ Soy foods reduces breast cancer recurrence ♦ Oral milk thistle extract stops colorectal cancer:

Seafood samples had no elevated contaminant levels from oil spill Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010, many people were concerned that seafood was contaminated by either the oil or dispersants used to keep the oil from washing ashore. A new study found that all seafood tested so far has shown “remarkably low contaminant levels,”

Animal study shows why long-time consumption of soy foods reduces breast cancer recurrence Women diagnosed with breast cancer are often told not to eat soy foods or soy-based supplements because they can interfere with antiestrogen treatment. But new research could eventually impact that advice, because in animals, a long history of eating soy foods boosts the immune response against breast tumors,

Excessive use of dietary supplements linked to increase cancer risk While dietary supplements may be advertised to promote health, new research shows a link between consumption of over-the-counter supplements and increased cancer risk, if the supplements are taken in excess of the recommended dietary amount.

Oral milk thistle extract stops colorectal cancer stem cells from growing tumors A new study shows that orally administering the chemical silibinin, purified from milk thistle, slows the ability of colorectal cancer stem cells to grow the disease. When stem cells from tumors grown in silibinin-fed conditions were re-injected into new models, the cells failed to develop equally aggressive tumors even in the absence of silibinin.

Health Research: Oil dispersant used in Gulf Oil Spill causes lung injuries ♦ Cigarette smoke makes superbugs more aggressive ♦ Phone counseling reduces pain

Oil dispersant used in Gulf Oil Spill causes lung and gill injuries to humans and aquatic animals, also identifies protective enzyme New research suggests that Corexit EC9500A, an oil-dispersant agent, contributes to damage to epithelial cells within the lungs of humans and gills of marine creatures.

Phone counseling reduces pain, disability after back surgery Having a short series of phone conversations with trained counselors can substantially boost recovery and reduce pain in patients after spinal surgery.The phone calls, designed to enrich standard pre- and postoperative care by reinforcing the value of sticking with physical therapy and back-strengthening exercise regimens, are a relatively inexpensive and simple intervention that can maximize surgical outcomes.

Team succeeds in doubling life span of mice suffering from premature aging An increase in the capacity to produce nucleotides, the 'building blocks' of DNA, reduces genome fragility and counteracts premature aging in mutant mice for the ATR protein. The experiments may explain the beneficial effects of folic acid, a precursor of nucleotides, which are clinically used to alleviate the degenerative symptoms associated with aging.

Beige' fat-burning cells in humans identified A research team has isolated energy-burning 'beige' fat from adult humans, which is known to be able to convert unhealthy white fat into healthy brown fat.

Cigarette smoke makes superbugs more aggressive Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an antibiotic-resistant superbug, can cause life-threatening skin, bloodstream and surgical site infections or pneumonia. Researchers now report that cigarette smoke may make matters worse. The study shows that MRSA bacteria exposed to cigarette smoke become even more resistant to killing by the immune system