Nine out of 10 toddlers are allowed to eat junk food. The survey of 2,000 parents by Mother and Baby magazine and Cow & Gate found children's favourite foods include chocolate and crisps. Eight out of 10 parents admitted their children had worse diets than they had at that age. But few thought they were to blame. BBC

Like most everything else, sleep is best done in moderation. Spending too many hours in bed each night can cause as many problems as getting too few hours of sack time, according to a University of California, San Diego study in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. The study found people who sleep more than eight hours a night (long sleepers) and people who get less than seven hours of slumber both report more sleep complaints than people who get just the right amount of shuteye -- between seven and eight hours per night. HealthDay

Even doctors need medical help once in a while, and that's how Dr. Richard Usatine discovered yoga. The former UCLA medical school professor suffered a back injury in a car accident. After a year of failed attempts to get rid of the pain, Usatine was willing to try anything. He went to see a friend and colleague who specialized in physical medicine. The prescription came as a surprise. Try yoga, the friend said. Yoga worked so well that Usatine now recommends the ancient practice to patients who complain about stress-related conditions. He also researched yoga and its potential benefits for 20 health conditions in a book called "Yoga Rx." The book, which recommends yoga for a range of problems from asthma to back pain to irritable bowel syndrome, was published last year with yoga therapist Larry Payne. Los Angeles Daily News

Researchers say they've found more evidence of a link between a rapid rise in obesity and a corn product used to sweeten soft drinks and food since the 1970s. The researchers examined consumption records from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 1967-2000 and combined that with previous research and their own analyses. The data showed an increase in the use of high-fructose corn sweeteners in the late 1970s and 1980s "coincidental with the epidemic of obesity," said one of the researchers, Dr. George Bray, a longtime obesity scientist with Louisiana State University System's Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Associated Press

"Lose That Extra Weight ... While Eating the Foods You Love!" For decades, such headlines were fixtures of supermarket checkout lanes, to be taken no more seriously than claims of alien abduction. But times have changed. High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets have become wildly popular because they help adherents lose dozens of pounds without having to gnaw on rice cakes. It seems too good to be true, and some critics say it is. The debate over the long-term health effects of Atkins and similar weight-loss plans might grind on for years with no satisfactory conclusion. But whenever we're faced with a fast-growing trend on this shrinking planet, scientists should look beyond human health to weigh ecological consequences as well. That's what we decided to do for Atkins-style diets. Grist Magazine

According to Manhattan-based dentist Dr. Jose Souto, many low-carb dieters have been coming in complaining of stinky breath, which he says is caused by a number of factors. First of all, a low-carb diet is low on tooth-cleansing foods like apples which can rid the mouth of yucky plaque. The eating regimen also inhibits the production of acid in the mouth, which leads to the growth of offensive-smelling "volatile sulfur compounds." Wireless Flash

Acupuncture is a useful, cost-effective treatment for patients who suffer from chronic headaches or migraine, American researchers said on Monday. In one of the largest randomized studies to assess the effectiveness of the ancient Chinese treatment, scientists found it worked better than just conventional treatments alone. Reuters

Fizzy drinks are the major cause of tooth erosion in British teenagers but many parents are not aware of the problem, researchers said on Friday. The sodas and pop drunk by up to 92 percent of UK 14-year-olds wear away the enamel protective coating on teeth. Dental erosion weakens teeth and can cause thinning or chipping of the tooth edges. Reuters

The Environmental Protection Agency is studying the chemicals released into the air when a bag of microwave popcorn is popped or opened. Exposure to vapors from butter flavoring in microwave popcorn has been linked to a rare lung disease contracted by factory workers in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has said it suspects the chemical diacetyl caused the illnesses. Associated Press

If Nicolas Cage lights a cigarette in a movie, Hollywood's ratings board should respond as if he used a profanity, according to authors of a new study that criticizes glamorous images of smoking in movies rated for children under 17. Salon

Americans are sitting around and eating themselves to death, with obesity closing in on tobacco as the nation's No. 1 underlying preventable killer. Associated Press

Three South Korean professors sat in a small office at the American Sports Institute in Mill Valley recently to talk about fat children. South Korean children have gotten so fat in the past few years, you'd think they were Americans. "Along with a Westernized diet, South Korea is No. 1 or No.2 in the world in terms of Internet use,'' said Seongho Lee of Chungang University in Seoul. "More than 90 percent of students spend more than four hours a day on the computer.'' San Francisco Chronicle

Global hamburger giant McDonald's latest line in healthy looking salads may contain more fat than its hamburgers, according to the company's Web Site. Reuters

In an effort to combat struggling sales, McDonald's plans to introduce a low-calorie tofu sandwich that will be marketed to women. BusinessWeek

Smokers are up to four times more likely to go blind in old age, according to research. A study in the British Medical Journal says cigarettes increase the chances of developing age-related macular degeneration. BBC

The issue of obesity will loom larger than life on Capitol Hill this week with the House expected to approve the so-called ‘‘cheeseburger bill,'' which would prevent Americans from suing fast-food giants such as McDonald's for making them overweight. Independent Record

The parents of children who aren't eating the recommended five portions of fruits and vegetables a day may not be setting them a good example, according to new research published on Sunday. Youngsters have innate likes and dislikes and can be incredibly stubborn about what they will and will not eat, but a study of the behavioral aspects of their eating habits showed parental example has a major influence. "Parental consumption was the strongest predictor of children's consumption," Lucy Cooke, a psychologist at University College London, said in an interview. Reuters

Deep-fried fritters and whole milk are on the way out, and baked chips are in at Texas public schools. In an effort to fight childhood obesity, the Texas Agriculture Department is revamping the rules on what foods public schools can serve to their 4.2 million students. Schools have until August to adapt. Associated Press

Americans are eating more fat and cholesterol as "low-carb" diets grow in popularity, but people do not seem to be losing weight and they are putting their health at risk, U.S. researchers said on Friday. Reuters

Extracts of sage and lemon balm may help to improve memory and behavioral problems in people with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia, scientists said Friday. Reuters

Parents of cranky children with ear infections be warned: Antibiotics may no longer be what the doctor orders. Two leading medical groups are expected to recommend this spring that doctors stop treating most ear infections in children with antibiotics, federal health officials said Tuesday. Associated Press

An anthropological autopsy of 70 gladiators found the Romans to be overweight vegetarians who fought barefoot, according to University of Vienna scientists. The Washington Times

Obese Americans who take drastic, expensive action to lose weight under a doctor's orders will at least be able to lighten their tax load. The Internal Revenue Service allows taxpayers who are forced to spend thousands of dollars because of obesity to deduct expenses for stomach-stapling surgery, approved weight-loss drugs and nutritional counseling. Associated Press

Anti-bacterial soaps do not deliver the type of protection from common health ailments that consumers expect, according to a study. NewsDay