There’s long been a consensus that what you eat influences how you sleep. But can how you sleep dictate how you eat?

The answer is yes. At least at the extreme.

Last week, the Boston Globe ran an article about diabulimia, a practice in which individuals with diabetes skip or underdose their insulin in a misguided attempt to stay thin.

The article cited in the work of psychologist Ann Goebel-Fabbri, at the Joslin Diabetes center in Boston. She published a shocking study last year showing that diabulimia tripled the risk of death from diabetes or its complications. Those who restricted their insulin died on average 13 years younger -- at 45, compared to 58.

Is chocolate addicting? Common wisdom would say, yes. There are countless, self-professed “chocoholics” who swear the savory sensation of a square of Godiva, melting on their tongue, undeniably engenders an uncontrollable craving for more.

But is this craving an addiction? And, by the way, what’s the difference between craving and addiction anyway?

After another weekend of carpooling my 12-year daughter to soccer, I came across a timely study on the theme of athletes and menstruation. There’s been an alarming trend in teenage female athletes: As many as 25 percent of our daughters who participate in athletics stop menstruating -- compared with 2 to 5 percent in the general population.