Exam stress and breakups are notorious for driving people to the ice cream and M&Ms, but did you know that thoughts of mortality can make you hit the Oreos harder as well?

Research from Arizona State University and Erasmus University in the Netherlands observed how many cookies subjects ate while writing an essay on one of two topics: a trip to the dentist or their own death. Those writing about shuffling off their mortal coils ate more cookies than those writing on root canals. The exception? People with high self-esteem, whose consumption was little affected by the essay topic.

The authors hypothesize that people eat to subconsciously escape self-awareness. I think anyone who has ever crammed down another donut in a moment of anxiety or depression (uh, probably all of us) can relate.

A 19-year old South Carolina man died as a result of eating a batch of pancakes from an expired mix. It wasn't exactly the pancakes that killed him, though. He seems to have had an allergic reaction to a mold that grew in the mix.

As unfortunate as this story is, it can illustrate a valuable point to everyone about checking expiration dates, especially on things that have a long shelf life. While the ingredients, which in the case of pancake mixes consist primarily of flour, can last for a long time in a cool, dry place, unwanted things can develop over time. Sometimes a product can smell or look "off, though a potential problem may not be obvious to the naked eye. "Unseen molds can trigger both minor and severe allergic reactions, so it is best to throw out an old mix than to risk anaphylactic shock - especially if you are prone to allergies.

 Update: Link is now fixed

The girl who supposedly died of an allergic reaction caused by the exposure to peanut butter after kissing her boyfriend did not die from her allergy. The coroner who examined the girl said that the cause of Christina Desforges' death was something different, though he would not yet reveal what that cause was. The girl reported feeling unwell, which prompted her friends to call an ambulance. She collapsed before it arrived and died four days later. The coroner said that he came forward to prevent an allergy group from using her death as the central case in an awareness campaign.

Scott Martin, age 20, was killed by his diet of French fries, white toast and, on occasion, a tin of baked beans or spaghetti. He refused all fruits and vegetables. The young British man was stricken with cirrhosis and autoimmune hepatitis, caused by malnutrition brought on by an unhealthy diet. Both diseases destroyed his liver and his body's ability to stave off infection, ultimately resulting in his death. Scott was told that he needed a liver transplant last year, but was afraid of surgery and unwilling to change his diet. His family reported that Scott did not drink and that his preferred activity was watching Manchester United on television.

To make a gross understatement, this is a very sad story. I feel for the family of this young man. Wouldn't you change your diet if your life depended up on it?

Figures published last week reveal that in the last twenty years cirrhosis death rates for men in England and Wales have risen by over 60% and the rates for women have increased by nearly 50%. While Austria still has the highest cirrhosis death rates in Europe, followed in an ever-narrowing margin by Scotland, where cirrhosis deaths have doubled in the past two decades, many other countries have seen a 20-30% decline since the 1970s. Excessive and binge drinking - which results in some 22,000 British deaths each year - rates have risen among young men and women, and doctors report treating cirrhosis patients in their twenties, while only two decades ago nearly every patient with the disease was in late middle age.

England switched to 24 hour licensing at the end of last year, which permits clubs and pubs to serve alcohol around the clock. The medical profession is worried that this change will lead to an increase in alcoholism and alcohol and cirrhosis related deaths. They are encouraging the government to put more money into alcohol-treatment programs and to consider putting more restrictions on liquor licensing.

Slashfoodies love their cocktails. Particularly on festive occasions, football games and New Year's Eve, or when we decide to get spirited with our cooking. But we know when to stop and would like to take this opportunity to remind our friends and readers to do the same. Please drink safely, responsibly and in moderation.

I know that I drink a lot of coffee. I probably have a bit of a tolerance to caffeine at the moment, so the possibility of death by caffeine overdose never really occurred to me. But Energy Fiend's Death by Caffeine Calculator has actually put my mind at ease, because I know that I could not possibly consume the 58 cups of drip coffee required to kill me in the few hours it would take the caffeine to pass through my system. Nor could I finish 185 diet Cokes. I might consider trying the 595 mugs of cocoa if I had a plentiful enough supply of marshmallows, though.

A more recent Death by Penguin Mint Calculator lets you choose your poison from a variety of caffeinated candies. 8,327 Hershey's kisses? Given the fact that a pile of kisses that size would weigh a little more than 80 pounds (36 kg), I think I would have issues other than the caffeine to worry about.

How much caffeine would it take to take you out?