Mind Soup

Step away from the television... TV is not your friend. In fact, according to a new study, it's your mortal enemy. Researchers have discovered that every hour per day spent watching television increases your chance of dying from heart disease by one-fifth. We all know a sedentary lifestyle can lead to disastrous health problems, but this new study shows even the most physically fit are at risk for heart disease when they spend a good amount of time watching TV. "Even if someone has a healthy body weight, sitting for long periods of time still has an unhealthy influence on their blood sugar and blood fats," says Professor David Dunstan, the study's lead researcher. Australian scientists, lead by Prof. Dunstan, looked at about 9,000 people over the course of six years, grouping them into categories depending on how much television they watched. The group that watched the most (four or more hours a day) were 80% more likely to develop heart disease and die from ...

A coroner has ruled that Chicago Bears defensive end Gaines Adams died of a heart attack, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter's posting on his Twitter account. Adams, 26, was pronounced dead at 8 a.m. Sunday at a Greenwood County, South Carolina hospital, according to the Greenville News. Selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, Adams joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Apparently Adams had an enlarged heart that caused cardiac arrest, according to tweets posted at Schefter and Jason La Canfora's Twitter pages. On Thursday, Southern Indiana senior Jeron Lewis also had an enlarged heart, like Adams, that led to his cardiac arrest during a basketball game at Kentucky Weslyn College. Adams, who played football at Clemson, was considered by many to be a bust at the NFL level and was traded from the Bucs to the Bears last October. The former 2006 ACC Defensive Player of the Year registered 93 tackles, 13 1/2 sacks and two interceptions in four seasons (thr...

Brittany Murphy, the star of such films as Clueless and 8 Mile, has died, her publicist and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have confirmed. The cause of death, reportedly, was cardiac arrest. Murphy was 32. “In this time of sadness, the family thanks you for your love and support,” the actress’ publicist, Nicole Perna, said in a statement. “It is their wish that you respect their privacy.” A hospital spokeswoman said Murphy was pronounced dead at 10:04 a.m. TMZ says a 911 call was made this morning from a home in Los Angeles that is listed as belonging to her husband, Simon Monjack. TMZ later reported that Murphy’s mother found the actress unconscious in the shower. A spokesman for the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office would only say it received a preliminary report of a death at Cedars-Sinai and is investigating the matter. Born in Atlanta, Ga. and raised by her divorced mother, Sharon, in New Jersey, Murphy began her performing career early. She nabbed a singing role at age 9 in Le...