The risk of death while running a marathon
- Thu Mar 08 2012
- James Fell
In less than two weeks I’m running the LA Marathon – my first ever marathon – so when I saw a recent headline about heart attack risk from marathons I was of course intrigued. I actually think my heart rate spiked.
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Can living like the Golden Girls help you live longer?
- Thu Nov 24 2011
- Sarah Treleaven
While some people consider living alone a benchmark of adulthood and success - especially if you're accustomed to roommates who have loud sex and never clean the toilet - it turns out that solo living isn't all roses.
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How intense grief can shorten your life
- Wed Sep 14 2011
- Sarah Treleaven
The loss of someone close is an excruciating experience. But can it actually kill you? According to a recent study, reported by Eleanor Bradford over at the BBC -- "Bereaved parents die of 'broken heart'" -- parents who lose a baby are themselves four times more likely to die in the decade following the child's death.
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What are the predictors of an early death?
- Wed Jul 20 2011
- Sarah Treleaven
A recent story over at the BBC — "Why do Americans die younger than Britons?" — looks at life expectancy figures across Canada, the U.S., the UK, Japan and Australia. And, interestingly, the U.S. is lagging behind.
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Can eating way less help you live longer?
- Wed Jun 01 2011
- Sarah Treleaven
I am currently trying to starve a cold (due less to science, and more to a phlegm-induced lack of appetite), so I guess this might count as good news. According to recent research reported by USA Today — "Could 'extreme' low-cal diets bring longer, healthier life?" — living in a state of constant deprivation might help extend your life. (Though it's debatable just how happy you'll be in the meantime if you have to forsake fried chicken, key lime pie and pork belly sandwiches. But maybe I'm just projecting.)
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Can happiness kill you?
- Wed May 25 2011
- Sarah Treleaven
You might think that being happy is the fairly obvious answer to all of your problems. But it turns out that happiness might in fact be the worst solution ever to one of life's biggest problems: the inevitability of death. According to a recent story by Richard Alleyne in the Telegraph — "Feeling happy? Don't be too smug as chances are you will die young" — people who are excessively joyful are more likely to die young than their more dour peers.
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