Australian television personality and environmentalist Steve Irwin, known worldwide as the Crocodile Hunter, died of cardiac arrest after being hit by a stingray barb to the chest. While filming an underwater documentary off the Great Barrier Reef on Australia's northeast coast, Irwin was diving off his boat Croc One near Batt Reef when the incident occurred.

Irwin was known for his boldly adventurous antics and outrageous stunts with animals during the Crocodile Hunter wildlife documentaries that aired on the Animal Planet Channel and for making the now widely-used phrase Crikey! famous. He was also an avid environmentalist. Both entertaining and educational, Crocodile Hunter became a television show enormously popular among all age groups, and one the whole family could watch together.

From poisonous snakes to chomp-snapping crocodiles, he was a one-of-a-kind character who brought interest in wildlife and the environment to a global viewing television audience in the most engaging manner.

He is survived by his American wife Terri, from Oregon, and their daughter Bindi Sue, who is eight-years-old, and son Bob, who is two-years-old. Steve Irwin was 44.

The Japanese Karoshi, or sudden death from overwork, isn't an isolated syndrome specific to the Japanese work culture anymore. Based on a new study, University of California researchers say that Americans now work longer hours than the Japanese. Not surprising, considering that the US is the only industrialized country that allows its workers to overwork. Most other countries have a mandatory limit on the amount of time a worker can work, and the required amount of vacation needed to be taken each year.

Although we might take pride in the hardworking ethic of working long hours without much reprieve, it takes a toll on our heart in the form of high blood pressure. According to the researchers, people who worked 40 hours per week were 14 percent more likely to have high blood pressure than people who worked 39 hours or less. The risk was 17 percent greater in those working 41 to 50 hours weekly, and 29 percent higher in those working 51 hours or more.

In the US, we could call this dying to get ahead or trying to stay afloat. For heart health, maybe we need to restructure our work day. Power nap anyone?

As you shop the aisles of your local grocery store, ever wonder what the red Heart Check Mark means? Besides the fact that it symbolizes foods that are a good heart smart purchase? According to the American Heart Association, who issues the Heart Check Mark, only food products that meet the Food Certification Program standards of nutrition can display the Heart Check Mark seal of approval.

The American Heart Association Food Certification Program offers shoppers valuable information that each serving of the food certified has a total of three grams or less of fat; one gram or less of saturated fat; 20 mg or less of cholesterol; and 480 mg or less of sodium. In addition, each serving must include at least ten percent of the daily value of one of six nutrients: vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, protein or dietary fiber. All seafood, game meat, meat and poultry must be extra lean.

New to the Heart Check Mark Food Certification Program is the Whole-Grains Certification. Whole grain foods that meet the criteria for acceptable saturated fat and cholesterol levels can display the red heart with the white checkmark when the total fat is less than 6.5 gms; 1 gm or less saturated fat; 20 mg or less cholesterol, 480 mg or less sodium; .5 gm or less trans fat; and include at least ten percent of the daily value of one of six nutrients: vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, protein or dietary fiber.

Your heart health risk factors go up depending on your level of body fat; how much abdominal fat you carry and other health factors like high blood pressure, high LDL/ low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood glucose, family history of premature heart disease, lack of exercise and cigarette smoking.

As part of the Obesity Education Initiative, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute offers the Calculate Your Body Mass Index (BMI) that calculates your body fat based on height and weight. You will then be able to compare your score against the BMI chart to determine if you fall into one of four categories: underweight; normal weight; overweight or obese.

To figure out if you are at higher heart health risk based on abdominal fat, measure your waist. For women, a waistline above 35 inches increases health risks, for men it is any measurement above 40 inches.

According to experts, even a ten percent reduction in weight can significantly begin to reduce the heart health risk factors associated with being overweight or obese. To find out what your BMI is, the Calculate Your Body Mass Index is a free tool available online to help you determine your BMI.

There are overweight people living in the heart of the metropolis, and there are skinny thin people living in the country -- but according to a new Statistics Canada report -- you are going to find more obesity in rural areas.

Researchers concluded their findings on actual measurements of height and weight, and discovered that the larger the city, the smaller the waistlines. Even those who did not live in an urban area, but commuted to a large city were less likely to have problems with weight.

Researchers suggest that higher obesity rates among rural residents can be attributed to increased reliance on automobiles, less walking activity, and reduced opportunities for exercise as a result of the extended distances to reach recreational facilities.

Regional differences in obesity is one of five articles in the latest issue of Health Reports. The other four reports are Adult obesity; Obesity - a growing issue; Overweight and obesity among children and youth; and Trends in adult obesity. All five reports are available as a 78-page PDF document in the latest issue of Health Reports.

For those concerned about heart health and fighting acne, Accutane, and the generic isotretinoin, might pose more health risks than originally believed, according to University of California San Francisco researchers.

When researchers conducted a study on the acne-fighting drug in relation to cholesterol and other fat levels, they found it increased the levels of triglyceride fats in about 44 percent of patients. In addition, the total cholesterol levels were higher for 31 percent of patients. Both can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

The good news is that once the patient stops using Accutane, the adverse effects on cholesterol and other fat levels begin to reverse. But then the next question is -- if you suffer from acne, what is a safer alternative?

Have any of our readers found effective and safer ways of treating acne? Any tips or suggestions?

The American Heart Association offers an online grocery list builder that allows you to create a shopping list of heart-healthy foods. You can browse by manufacturer or category -- Beverages; Biscuit & Bread Mixes; Breakfast Foods; Soups; Cheeses; Egg Substitutes; Flavored Milks; Soy Milk; Yogurts; Yogurt Drinks; Deli Meat; Desserts; Frozen Foods; Fruits & Vegetables; Meat & Poultry; Pasta, Sauces & Grains; Seafood and Snacks. You can even customize the list by adding items you know to be heart healthy.

Each item listed by manufacturer or category is a food item bearing the heart-check mark. Once you are done creating your grocery list online, simply print it out and take it with you on your next shopping trip. This is a new service and more items are being added, such as the recent addition of Eurofresh Campari Tomatoes; Kirkland Signature Premium Brisket Roast Beef and Milton's Healthy Multi-Grain Plus Bread.

Alas, no products are listed under the coffee category -- yet. But it looks like a very cool service and available for everyone who wants to use it.

By Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates, one million adults and two million children have prescriptions filled each month to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The drugs are stimulants and as such, pose potential risk for heart problems, stunted growth, seizures, vision problems and psychotic behavior.

Recent decisions will now require drug makers to include a warning with the medication about the possible risk of serious health problems and sudden death.

According to the Reuters news release, Canadian health authorities have already publicly warned people with high blood pressure, heart disease and other medical problems to avoid taking medications for ADHD.

The two drugs specifically mentioned as requiring the new warning are GlaxoSmithKline Plc's Dexedrine and Novartis AG's Ritalin. There are other ADHD drugs prescribed, Johnson & Johnson's Concerta and Eli Lilly's Strattera, but it has not been confirmed if these two will also be required to carry the new warning.

The National Institute of Mental Health has published a comprehensive booklet online about ADHD that gives the reader a detailed idea of what ADHD is and might offer an understanding of why many critics state that ADHD is not only over-diagnosed but over-medicated as well.

Intuitive Eating is about making peace with food. Fostering a healthy relationship with food. Giving yourself permission to eat anything you want. The philosophy is more practical common sense than it is revolutionary -- but perhaps it is revolutionary in the common sense of learning to listen to your body when it sends you both hunger signals and then when it tells you it is full. The very nature of dieting teaches us to ignore all signals. Over time, we lose touch.

In the book Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works, Evelyn Tribole, former nutrition expert for Good Morning America and currently a dietitian with a counseling practice, and Elyse Resch, nutrition therapist for 24 years, specializing in eating disorders and preventative nutrition states that you can learn how to reject the diet mentality forever; learn how the three eating personalities define our eating difficulties; and how to honor hunger and feel fullness by following their program.

To begin, they offer the Are you an Intuitive Eater? quiz on the Intuitive Eating website. While there, you can read research and articles that explain more about learning to unlearn everything most of us have been taught about losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight. Although eating anything you want might seem absolutely backwards, it might be the most forward approach suggested in the last 40 years.

Richard Atkinson concedes that most obesity is a direct effect of eating too much, but what has intrigued him in the 30 years he has been studying obesity is that not all obesity is caused by eating too much. The explanation might be lurking in the micro-organisms that live in the stomach. We all have them, millions of different ones, in our stomach.

In a simplified version, these microflora might be regulating how many calories we extract from the food we eat. In a lab study of germ-free mice without any microflora, researchers discovered that while the mice consumed great quantities of food, they weren't gaining weight. Without gut microbes, they were not able to extract calories from the food they were eating. It is entirely possible that some people have gut microbes that work overtime, extracting far more calories than those not obese.

It gets even more interesting and just might turn upside down the belief that viruses don't cause obesity and that avian viruses don't infect humans. Back in the late 1980s, the avian virus SMAM-1 was killing thousands of chickens. On autopsy of the plague-infected dead chickens, they found the birds exhibited an unusual amount of abdominal fat. From that observation, a researcher collected blood samples from 52 obese patients. Nearly 20 percent showed signs of antibodies revealing they had been exposed and infected with the same SMAM-1 virus. An avian virus not said to infect humans. These 20 percent also recorded weight on average 33 pounds heavier than the obese who had not been affected by the chicken virus.

Nikhil Dhurandhar, the researcher who stumbled upon this hypothesis and tested its theory, has named the study of the virus to obesity link infectobesity. Between initial discoveries and the continuing work of Atkinson and Dhurandhar, and the teams that work with them, not all obesity can be explained by the eating more-moving less theory. Germ of a big idea is Robin Marantz Henig's fascinating story of microflora and virus in detail.

After conducting a study involving 29,000 people in 52 countries, the INTERHEART researchers have concluded there are nine risk factors that can predict more than 90 percent of heart attacks. The nine factors are:

• Cigarette smoking.
• Abnormal ratio of blood lipids.
• High blood pressure.
• Diabetes.
• Abdominal obesity.
• Stress.
• Lack of daily consumption of fruits and vegetables.
• Lack of daily exercise.
• Regular and moderate alcohol drinking offer modest protection against heart attack.
  

"These risk factors appear to predict the majority of the risk in virtually every region, every ethnic group, in men and women and in the old and the young," said Dr. Salim Yusuf, a professor of medicine at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University and director of the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences. "This suggests that the message of preventing cardiovascular disease can be quite simple and, generally, similar across the world."

INTERHEART researchers state that conventional wisdom has held approximately half of all heart attacks can be predicted, but their study suggests that almost all heart attacks can be predicted ahead of time. Some are lifestyle factors that can be modified or changed, the remainder can be controlled through monitoring and medication.

According to INTERHEART researchers, all forms of tobacco triple the increase in heart attack risk. The global study looked at smoking, chewing tobacco, sheesha, beedies and second hand smoke, and found there is no safe tobacco use when it comes to heart health.

The good news. Heart attack risk decreases over time the longer you don't use tobacco products. For light smokers, in five years heart attack risks equal that of non-smokers. Heavy smokers were still at an increased risk even after twenty years of smoking cessation, although the risk did decrease to approximately 20 percent of what the risk would be had they continued smoking.

For those interested in quitting, several new products, one a prescription drug and another a nicotine vaccine, on the market or in clinical trials, show new promise as part of a successful smoking cessation program.

Chantix (varenicline), a drug designed to help smokers quit smoking, now available in US pharmacies, is the first new prescription drug for smoking cessation treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a decade. When prescribed Chantix, smokers will be offered a chance to participate in a behavioral modification program called GETQUIT Support Plan at no extra cost. Chantix acts on the areas of the brain affected by nicotine and helps those who smoke cigarettes to quit smoking in two ways: by providing some nicotine effects to ease the withdrawal symptoms and by blocking the effects of nicotine from cigarettes if they start smoking again.

NicVAX, an experimental injectable nicotine quit smoking vaccine to treat tobacco addiction, is currently in clinical trials. Participants in the study are receiving quit-smoking counseling in addition to the vaccine.

According to Reuters Health news, Merck is facing an estimated 14,200 lawsuits from people who say they suffered heart attacks after taking the pain medication drug Vioxx.

Today, a federal jury awarded Gerald Barnett, a 62-year-old retired Federal Bureau of Investigation agent who had a heart attack after taking Vioxx for 31 months, $51 million dollars. In another defeat, New Jersey Judge Carol Higbee threw out a state jury verdict that had favored Merck over 60-year-old postal worker Frederick Humeston, who claimed Vioxx caused his heart attack. In light of new information, Judge Higbee has ordered a new trial.

Merck says it disagrees with the rulings and vows to appeal.

Before Vioxx was recalled two years ago, it was a widely-prescribed pain relief drug. Merck is also the makers of Gardasil, the new cervical cancer vaccine and Januvia, an experimental drug for diabetes treatment.

Now that we have told you all the great heart health and weight loss benefit there is to bouncing on a mini-trampoline -- we are here to tell you not all mini-trampolines are alike.

According to JB Berns, the creator of the Urban Rebounding Program, the mini-trampolines found in stores are not build to withstand the demands put on it during the repetitive bouncing exercises of rebounding.

For those who have become bored with workout routines, or suffer from joint and muscle stress that can result from various forms of exercise, rebounding is an easy and fun alternative. Berns offers a mini-trampoline built to last, a stabilizer bar, and exercise videos as part of the Urban Rebounding Program.

A martial arts black belt in karate and fitness expert named one of America's top 10 personal trainers by Fitness magazine, Berns states that rebounding offers a "challenging cardiovascular workout without excess stress on the heart, muscles and joints. that allows the body to work harder, for a longer period of time without absorbing the shock and stress of hard-surface workouts."

To learn more about the As Seen on TV Urban Rebounding Program, visit the company's website online.

This is not for serious coffee drinkers -- those of us who stumble out of bed blurred-eyed in abstract disjointed thought mumbling a barely coherent please don't talk to me -- I need coffee crowd for whom the automatic programmable coffeemaker was invented. No, this is for the occasional coffee drinker -- those who possess the admirable quality of non-addicted caffeine personality -- the social and moderate coffee drinker.

Brown University and Harvard School of Public Health researchers do not have good news for light and moderate coffee drinkers. After completing a survey of heart attack patients, they found heart attack risk increased by 60 percent within one hour of drinking a cup of coffee.

The reason is simple. Light and moderate coffee drinkers have not built up a tolerance for the effects of caffeine on the system in the same way as those who depend more heavily on the coffee bean caffeine beverage to jump start the day.