Peachy results A technique that boosts the size of peaches may also be able to block the growth and spread of tumours, according to preliminary studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Researchers used a protein called actibind to block blood supply to cancerous cells, which hindered their ability to move through the blood stream. The technique doesn't affect normal cells and has none of the side effects of radiation or chemotherapy. Oded Shoseyov told Reuters his team initially used protein to successfully inhibit the growth of pollen cells in peach trees, increasing the size of each fruit by reducing the yield. Driven to distraction Using a phone while driving - even a hands-free device - is more dangerous than drink-driving and increases the risk of an accident more than five-fold, with phone drivers missing up to half of visual cues. A University of Utah study tested 40 people on driving simulators: some used mobiles (including hands-free), some had a 0.08 per cent blood- alcohol content, and some had no distractions or impediments. Drunk drivers tended to be aggressive, whereas those using phones were sluggish, healthday.com reports. Phone use slows braking reaction time by 9 per cent. 'There's no difference between hands-free and hand-held devices - the problem is the conversation,' says team member Frank Drews. 'Fifty per cent of the visual information wasn't processed at all.' Anti-radical mushrooms Mushrooms contain more antioxidants than many vegetables - and white button mushrooms are the best, providing more than tomatoes, green beans, pumpkin, zucchini, carrots or green capsicum, according to a Pennsylvania State University study. Antioxidants help block cell damage from free radicals, which have been linked to heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's. Low blow for smokers Smoking so-called light cigarettes reduces your chances of giving up by more than 50 per cent - and the likelihood of quitting declines as you get older, according to a study of more than 12,000 people published in the American Journal of Public Health. More than a third say they switched to low-tar or low-nicotine cigarettes to reduce the health risks, WebMD reports. But the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study found that those who used light cigarettes were 54 per cent less likely to have successfully quit than those who had never smoked them. Brain campaign Healthy teeth may help protect against strokes, according to studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, which found an apparent link between dental disease and clogged arteries. Patients with atheromas, or blockages in the carotid arteries that lead to the brain, 'have greater amounts of active dental disease than age-matched controls with similar risk factors', researcher Evelyn Chung told Reuters. Sleep like a baby One of the most commonly recommended medicines for helping babies sleep not only doesn't work, it's actually more likely to keep them awake. Benadryl is an anti-allergy treatment that can cause drowsiness in adults, but many doctors and even paediatricians recommend it for babies who have trouble sleeping. Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine found that it appeared to work for fewer than 5 per cent of infants aged six to 15 months - worse than a placebo, which appeared to work for 13 per cent. In most cases, the infants became more active, healthday.com reports. Jason Sankey is a tennis professional
