Parents need to vacuum and wet mop their homes regularly to protect their children from toxic substances, researchers warned today.

Dusting topped a list of the five best ways to limit the dangers of exposure to chemicals at home.

‘House dust is a major source of children’s exposures to toxic substances including lead which, even at very low levels, is known to be harmful to the developing brain,’ said Professor Bruce Lanphear from Simon Fraser University, Canada.

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This article is for the busy, yet sedentary, individual. Being a writer myself, I know the demands of the professional world and that it keeps your butt in the chair for hour upon hour. Couple that with the 9-5 to pay the bills, obligations to family and friends — even kids (God bless you moms and dads!) — and something tends to fall to the wayside. Usually that becomes: “I don’t have time to workout.” There’s 24 hours in a day — you can make time … and I’ll show you how.

Who am I? How can I make these claims? I’m a certified personal trainer and I’ve been a fitness competitor for more than five years. I’ve trained under some of the best in the world (including 10 time world medalist Buddy Lee). So to you sedentary folk … authors, accountants, graphic designers and computer hackers, let me give you a little encouragement, fast facts and tips to keep your body and mind healthy and strong.

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For years they’ve been a no-no — but now a diet taking America by storm says bread, pasta and potatoes can help you drop half a stone in a week…

Low-carbohydrate diets have been all the rage for some time. And with an estimated 15 per cent of the UK population following a reduced-carb diet at any one time, they’re certainly popular.

But, as anyone who has tried one can testify, there is something about carbohydrate denial that seems extraordinarily punishing.

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Hollywood has been abuzz with speculation about why Scarlett Johansson and Sean Penn’s short-lived relationship fizzled so quickly.

And now it appears that there may be an answer to the riddle.

According to reports, the 50-year-old actor ‘did not want to be tied down’ to 26-year-old Lost In Translation actress.

Sean split with Scarlett after five months, because he ‘didn’t want anthing serious,’ a source told Us Weekly.

It has also been revealed that Scarlett was desperate to reignite the flame, especially at the recent Spike TV’s Guys Choice Awards in LA, where the former couple were snapped together.

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QUESTION: Is it true that our cognitive powers take a sharp drop right after we retire from the work force?

ANSWER: Although there is a relationship between retirement and cognitive skills, there is no evidence of an immediate or precipitous decline right after retirement, and there is plenty of reason to believe that being pro-active can minimize any potential negative effects.

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Lately, I’ve been bombarded by questions about fruit. Is fruit good for me? What about the sugar? Am I eating too much? What’s the best type of fruit to eat?

I thought the crash of the low-carb diet – Atkins, South Beach and the like – meant we were over our fear of healthy carbohydrates like fruit and whole grains. Apparently not.

Many new diet books are banning fruit or limiting how much of it can be eaten and when it should be eaten. The reason: Too much carbohydrate from fruit can prevent weight loss, or worse, make you fat.

That may be true if you eat a dozen apples every day (which would add 1,140 calories to your diet). But who does that? As a dietitian in private practice, I assess people’s diets every day. For many people, fruit just isn’t a regular part of their diet. Instead of giving strategies to cut down on fruit, most often I give tips to increase fruit intake.

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More than 1,800 ill as outbreak spreads across EU

British supermarkets have been urged to take German produce off their shelves halt the spread of the deadly mutant E.coli outbreak.

One of Britain’s leading microbiologists made the warning as UK retailers continued to import vegetables from Germany – despite concerns that contaminated produce is spreading the toxic bacteria.

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Natasha Hastings, professional athlete and Huffington Post blogger, discusses long work hours, exercise and how to reconcile the two for AOL Healthy Living:

As Americans are getting back to work, they are, naturally, dedicating more time to their jobs. Whether it is working from the Blackberry all day long, increasing hours to fit global time zones, putting in long days from home or whatever else is necessary, long gone are the days of an average 40-hour work week.

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An artificial sweetener used in Diet Coke is to undergo an urgent EU safety review.

Aspartame is ingested every day by millions of people around the world in more than 6,000 well-known brands of food, drink and medicine.

However, it has been the subject of a number of studies that appear to show harmful effects on human health.

One recent study linked diet drinks containing aspartame to premature births, while another suggested it could cause cancer.

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