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As the stunned world mourns the loss of Michael Jackson, who died at the age of 50 yesterday at U.C.L.A. Medical Center, speculation about the King of Pop's cause of death is everywhere. We're wondering too -- could his rigorous training for an upcoming tour be part of the puzzle?

"It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest at his home," said brother Jermaine Jackson at a hospital news conference yesterday. Others are talking about the stress that consumed the superstar's life, his frail and thin body, his pre-tour workouts with "The Incredible Hulk" star Lou Ferrigno, and painkillers -- allegedly taken to cope with performance-related injuries.

No doubt, Jackson's rehearsals and performances over the past 40 years were grueling (he'd once broken a vertebra and leg from a fall on the stage). For his upcoming 50-show world tour, Ferrigno was reportedly making secret visits to Jackson's Los Angeles mansion to help him work on his fitness for dance routines. But some sources report Jackson -- who once rehearsed the famous moonwalk dance sequence for four hours until it felt like second nature -- would not lift weights.

Regardless of the outcome of his autopsy, and whether or not he was pushing himself too hard in workouts, one this is clear: Jackson inspired millions with his music and his moves. And doesn't that just make you want to get up and dance?

Tim Eves, a 25-year-old man who friends and family said was "fit and healthy," died earlier this month after collapsing suddenly while playing the jogging game on his Wii Fit. Two of his friends were with him, and although they called the ambulance and tried to revive him, he was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

What makes this especially shocking is that Eves was an active young man, and this was, according to his mother, "completely out of the blue." He was a scout leader, an avid fisherman and a drummer for a rock and roll band. A possible cause of death is Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, although no official cause has been given.

This is absolutely a tragedy, and a reminder that we all need to keep our health in check. There are no guarantees, of course, but it's not going to hurt any of us to eat well, exercise and get regular check-ups with our doctors.

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We've got one trainer telling us to trash the treadmill and reach solely for the weights. And we've got RealAge saying that runners live longer than non-runners. I wasn't sold on the no-cardio concept before. Now, I'm really not sold on the weights-only mentality. But I'm a runner, which makes me a little biased. What do you think?

Hundreds of runners and non-runners were tracked for more than 20 years in one study, and it was determined that those who pound the pavement are much less likely to become disabled or die than non-runners. The difference in death rate was pretty significant -- 34 percent of non-runners died by age 70, but only 15 percent of runners did. Groups were similar in age, weight and overall health status so the thought is that running was the key to survival.

If you're a runner, I say keep on truckin'. If you're new to the sport but want to pick it up, RealAge offers some pointers for getting started. If you just can't see yourself racing to the finish line, don't forget about walking -- it has some real benefits too. And now, my friends, we want to know: Would you run if your life depended on it?

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Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Eric Stoltz has one of those careers any actor would kill for. Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Mask, Pulp Fiction ... the list goes on and on. He's currently on a tear, directing all sorts of hit primetime shows too, but this week we sat down to chat about his guest role on ABC's Grey's Anatomy. My opinion: Eric is really smart, relaxed and funny. He also happens to know the secret to losing weight -- you might be surprised by how simple it actually is!

Fitz: You're playing a serial killer on Death Row for a couple of weeks on ABC's Grey's Anatomy. Any similarities between you and your character?

Eric: Fortunately, no. But it did get me interested in reading and learning more about serial killers. Although repellent, they're often very brilliant, bold and fearless people. Evil characters like that offer me a great opportunity to be creative.

Fitz: Does that mean you're really a super nice guy?

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hey Fitz, Long time reader here. We've got a problem in our family, and it's that my dad is incredibly obese. He has a fairly athletic build, but in recent years became "potbellied." He's the only obese person in his family, and his health is REALLY starting to suffer.

He's having problems with his knees, joints, back, and worst of all -- his attitude. He cannot exercise because he's already so inactive, and every diet he's been on (reluctantly) he's just put the weight back on afterward. Sometimes he does it intentionally, for fun (a la Dunkin Donuts trips ... how awful!)

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I just read an article in People magazine about that morbidly obese lady Ruby who's losing weight on her television show. She once weighed more than 700 pounds, and I think she's now down to almost 400. This is fabulous news, and I congratulate her on her triumphs. She made a statement in the article that intrigued me, though, and I'm curious about how it translates for the rest of you.

Ruby basically said that knowing she was "almost one thousand pounds" made her put her foot down. At that point, she knew she needed to lose weight. I'm thrilled she made that decision, but why wasn't she shocked when she closed in on 500?

I've seen her interviewed and she seems like a lovely lady ... who just happens to have a very high breaking point. What is yours? What amount of weight gain is or would be acceptable to you? When counseling my clients, I encourage them to monitor their weight a few times a month. If they've gained more than two pounds, I suggest they quickly return to their healthier habits so they can maintain their ideal weight. Ten pounds is hard to lose, three is not so tough.

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Spend too many late nights watching CSI and Law & Order? If you're overweight, these shows might be to blame. Over at Fitsugar, they're talking about new research that shows an interesting connection between your TV habits and your eating and spending habits.

The study, published in the Journal of Consumer Research, found that consumers who had recently been reminded of their own mortality by seeing death on TV spent more money on groceries -- and ate more of those groceries as well. These findings were true of a number of food items, including snack foods like chips and soda, as well as non-snacky groceries like frozen foods, meats and vegetables. For more information on the findings, click here.

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I've never been pregnant, yet drinking during pregnancy is an issue that I'm very familiar with. My son's biological mother drank while she was pregnant with him. As a result, my son has Fetal Alcohol Effect. While he doesn't have the craniofacial features that are typical of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, he has many of the behavioral and cognitive impairments associated with the spectrum disorder. For example, though he is 11-years-old, my son's ability to comprehend cause and effect is about the level of a 2-year-old's.

So suffice it to say that I'm glad to see this study stating that even a few glasses of wine in early pregnancy can cause some fetal cell death. The researchers studied the effects of alcohol on fetal development in mice. Evidence shows that a few glasses of wine over an hour can have lasting effects on fetal development.

If you're pregnant, or there's any chance you might be pregnant, don't drink. It's just not worth it. One fun night might turn into permanent impairment that your child has to manage and live with for their rest of his or her life.

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There are 26 confirmed cases of food poisoning related to deli meats produced by a Canada-based Maple Leaf Foods plant. 12 of those cases have resulted in death. Listeria, the bacteria that was found in all of the people who contracted food poisoning, was detected in two beef products made at the Toronto plant.

The plant in question is closed while health officials inspect and test product until they're sure it is safe to reopen the plant. Maple Leaf Foods voluntarily pulled 220 products that are produced at the plant, a safety move that cost the company roughly $19 million.

There are another 29 suspected cases of food poisoning related to the tainted deli meats and health officials expect more cases will surface in the coming days.

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British celebrity chef and TV presenter, Antony Worrall Thompson, discussed organic salads in a recent magazine article. Sounds great, right? It would be, if one of the ingredients he recommended wasn't toxic.

Worrall Thompson has a passion for organic foods and meant to recommend using fat hen, a vitamin-C rich, edible weed that is plentiful in the UK. Fat hen would be a fine addition to salads, though it is quite high in nitrates. Instead of the relatively harmless fat hen, Worrall Thompson mistakenly recommended henbane -- a toxic plant that can cause vomiting, hallucinations, convulsions, and (in extreme cases) death.

Oops! Sounds like a salad you definitely DON'T want to eat. The magazine, Healthy & Organic Living, printed a warning to its readers. Worrall Thompson apologized for his error.

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This morning was a special day for the mommies in my playgroup and I. Today we donated over 150 stuffed monkeys to the children being cared for at North Florida Regional Medical Center (NFRMC) in honor of our Angel Odessa. Odessa Virginia Webster was born at NFRMC on February 24, 2003, and landed back at the same hospital on March 25, 2004 for care after a fatal head injury. At thirteen months old, Odessa was stolen from her parents Matt and Anita, her loving family, and our already tight playgroup family. It was devastating for all of us, and out of our grief came an intense drive to honor our "Angel O".

To back up a bit, our playgroup began when our infants met at a "new mommy" luncheon hosted at NFRMC when they were two weeks old. Well, the infants didn't exactly meet each other, but us moms did ... and we decided then and there that we wanted to stick together. That made ten families dealing with the insanity of newborns and leaning on each other for friendship, advice, stress relief, and fun. We literally have been getting together for "playgroup" every Tuesday since, and our children are all addicted to each other; the best of friends. At the start, we would have never imagined what would come for us, for her, the following year. I just remember checking my email one day and opening one from Anita with "Odessa Virginia Webster" as the title. I expected to see a new photo from a portrait studio. A portrait was included, but it went along with a letter written by Anita informing us that her daughter was gone. "Please don't call now. I'm not ready to talk" she wrote. I simply can't describe the agony that followed for all of us.

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So maybe one alcoholic drink per day is healthy. But don't pour that second one just yet -- it could be the very thing that erases the positives effects of the first.

Several studies have shown that light drinking may lower the risk of death and the development of heart disease. One recent Canadian study found that after one drink, blood vessels in participants were more dilated, reducing the work the heart had to do. But, after two drinks, the heart rate, amount of blood pumped out of the heart, and the action of the sympathetic nervous system all increased. The ability of the blood vessels to expand was also diminished. Hypertension, heart failure, and sudden death all can occur when these factors are in place.

Here's the deal: Have one drink and be well. Have two or more and you could stress your system. Now, we're talking regular consumption here, not the occasional indulgence. And get this: The American Heart Association does not recommend that anyone start drinking one drink per day to prevent heart disease. Reducing your risk through proper diet and exercise is much more effective than incorporating alcohol into your day.

Incidentally, if you are going to have one drink, make it red wine, the stuff believed to have the most protective properties.

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Finally, autopsy results are in for University of Central Florida football player Ereck Plancher, who died during spring drills in March -- see previous post here. The cause of death: A pre-existing medical condition worsened by physical stress.

The Orange County Medical Examiner's Office said Plancher, 19, had a sickle cell trait that caused problems with his red blood cells during physical exertion. Apparently, Plancher's heart began beating abnormally, and blood flow to the wide receiver's muscles and organs slowed or stopped. There was no evidence of trauma or illegal drugs or toxins in Plancher's body.

UCF school official says the health of students is top priority. And they may need to do a little investigating -- about a month after Plancher's death, the Orlando Sentinel reported that a group of anonymous students indicated the football player was struggling during practice, that perhaps the coach was singling out Plancher for not trying hard enough. The coach and the school say the newspaper's report is false.

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When your time on this planet is almost up, do you want a doctor to tell you your days are numbered? Or do you prefer to be in the dark, living your days with hope that there will be a bunch of tomorrows? Me? I think I'd want to know. I'd want to prepare, take care of any final matters, say goodbye to my loved ones.

Many people do not get straight talk from their doctors, who think they are doing patients a favor by giving them hope. New research says these docs are wrong and they aren't doing anyone any favors by keeping their lips sealed.

Being in the know can be healthy. Research shows patients were no more likely to become depressed when told they were dying than those who were not told. They were also less likely to spend their final days in a hospital -- they avoided costly care and lived out their last days perhaps at home and in the care of hospice.

It's a tough issue, whether or not to discuss grim prognoses with patients. From an ethics point of view, "it's easy -- patients ought to know," says Dr. Anthony Lee Back of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. "Talking about prognosis is where the rubber meets the road. It's a make-or-break moment -- you earn that trust or you blow it." But people react differently. Some want to know; some do not.

If it were you, how much would you want to know?

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The United States is two to three years behind most Western countries in terms of life expectancy -- it ranks 29th among all United Nations' member nations. Highest is Andorra, with an average life expectancy of 83. The U.S. magical age is 78. Still, we're making some progress in the life expectancy arena.

• Babies born in 2006 have an average life expectancy about four months greater than babies born in 2005.
  
  

• The male-female difference has declined over the past 15 years, from eight years to five years.
  
  

• Blacks have been gaining on whites.
  
  
• Flu and pneumonia deaths are dropping -- there were 22,000 fewer deaths between 2005 and 2006.
  
  
• Infant mortality rates are dropping.
  
  

• Deaths from stroke, lower respiratory diseases, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes are on the decline.
  
  

While it's too soon to tell if some of these occurrences are caused by statistical fluke or real trends, there's a possibility the drop in diabetes deaths is the biggest researchers have seen in a long time. And that, my friends, would be some pretty good news.

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